2

I am reading them as they are being posted.

What is correct way of using verb (BE) in writing above sentence? What is the difference between using these/those (documents), and should the noun (these document) be used instead of pronoun (them). Is the pronoun them (for documents) admissible in that place in a sentence, if another (they, again for same documents) is used immediately afterward.

  • I'm reading (them) (these/those documents) as (they) are being posted. ...OR...
  • I'm reading (them) (these/those documents) as (they) being posted. ...OR...
  • I'm reading (them) (these/those documents) as (they) have being posted. ...OR...
  • I'm reading (them) (these/those documents) as (they) have been posted. ...OR...
  • Non of the above.

He has run the company for five years now.

Is the verb has run correct here? If "he" is still in post, the action is still in progress, so should the verb be a continuous/progressive verb like He has been running? Does the inclusion of "now" make a difference here?

Improve this question
6
  • 3
    Why complicate matters? Two continuous forms in one utterance is unnecessary - I'm reading them as they are posted (or in speech, as they're posted ) is easier to write, read, say, and hear. (i.e. - none of the above! :)
    – FumbleFingers
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:12
  • It's sometimes hard to differentiate between common and official slang, especially for non-native speaker - I assumed that I could use "I'm reading them as they are posted", but I wasn't sure is it appropriate for official usage Thanks anyway, it's good to confirm since I wasn't sure
    – Santa
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:25
  • There's no such thing as "official" usage for English. There's "formal", which would exclude our contractions they're, I'm. But as a general principle, native speakers (particularly, eloquent and articulate native speakers) tend to use the simplest acceptable tense form for the context unless there's a good reason not to. If you want to understand this better (particularly, the exceptions to that principle), you'd probably get more appropriate answers asking on English Language Learners.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jul 15, 2015 at 1:56
  • Of course, I should have said "formal" for the purpose of "official" (correspondence). Thanks for the suggestion, though, appreciate it.
    – Santa
    Jul 15, 2015 at 2:28
  • 1
    Bear in mind "formal" has nothing to do with the usage you're asking about (i.e. - there's nothing "informal" about using a simpler tense here). Also note that if there had been any difference, the fact that your example is definitely informal (because of the contracted I'm) could well have led to you being given inappropriate information.
    – FumbleFingers
    Jul 15, 2015 at 2:33

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
2

I am reading them as they are posted.

Because "documents" is plural, you need to use "them" and "they". Because the sentence is in the present tense, you must use "are", which is the present tense form of the verb "to be". This may seem confusing, since "being" is also a form of "to be", but it is the progressive tense form, which is used to highlight the ongoing (progressing) nature of an action.

Source

Improve this answer
1

The first one is correct.

I'm reading them (documents) as they are being posted.

Improve this answer
8
  • 1
    first interaction :-) this works fine. thanks to dockeryZ, really, thanks friend !
    – Santa
    Jul 14, 2015 at 23:59
  • it sounds better though if you say, those documents or these documents
    – dockeryZ
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:01
  • you mean "im reading those docs as they are being posted" ?
    – Santa
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:03
  • 1
    Up arrows are fun to push too. :P
    – dockeryZ
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:17
  • 1
    yeah, i did that too, but I'm not sure if it registered since i don't have enough points to see it myself ;-))
    – Santa
    Jul 15, 2015 at 0:29

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.