There exists a natural incompatibility in the use of the progressive in these particular examples. The verb "to be" is par excellence a stative verb, and here is what A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language (Quirk et al., 1985) has to say about the use of the progressive as concerns those verbs.
(CoGEL § 4.26) State, event, and habit with the progressive
The three verb senses of state, event, and habit are differently interpreted
with the progressive:
(a) STATE PROGRESSIVE
In many cases […] the progressive is unacceptable with stative verbs:
- We own a house in the country.
- *We are owning a house in the country.
- *Sam's wife was being well-dressed.
This can be explained, in part, by the observation that stative verb meanings
are inimical to the idea that some phenomenon is 'in progress'. States are
'like-parted' in that every segment of a state has the same character as any
other segment: no progress is made. (Contrast We are building a house in the
country.) Where the progressive does occur, it is felt to imply temporariness
rather than permanence:
- We are living in the country. [temporary residence]
- We live in the country. [permanent residence]
[…]
A possibility of such a use of the progressive (with "to be" and other verbs) does exist, but it constitutes a rather marginal usage (not to be undervalued, though).
(CoGEL § 4.28) Stative types A and B: qualities and states
Among stative situation types, a rough distinction may be drawn between
QUALITIES […] and STATES […]. Qualities are relatively permanent and inalienable properties of the subject referent. The primary verbs be and have are preeminently quality-introducing verbs; but they can also introduce the less permanent situation types called states.
Contrast:
QUALITIES
- Mary is Canadian. [1]
- Mary has blue eyes. [2]
STATES
- Mary is tired.[3]
- Mary has a bad cold. [4]
Normally such stative situation types do not occur with the progressive (this
is especially trde of qualities):
*Mary is being a Canadian.[1a]
*Mary is having blue eyes. [2a]
?*Mary is being tired. [3a]
?Mary is having a bad cold. [4a]
If sentences such as [1a-4a] do occur with the progressive, it is a sign that they have been in some sense reinterpreted as containing a dynamic
predication. For example, Peter is being awkward signifies that 'awkwardness' is a form of behaviour or activity, not a permanent trait. If sentence [3a] were to occur, it would signify that Mary was pretending to be tired (ie indulging in a deceptive activity), rather than in a state of real lassitude.
Although verbs with stative meaning have sometimes been called
'nonprogressive', we should observe that the definition of stative verbs is not so much that they are incompatible with the progressive, as that when they
are combined with the progressive, some change of interpretation other than
the addition of the 'temporary' meaning of the progressive aspect is required.
This change of interpretation can usually be explained as a transfer, or
reclassification of the verb as dynamic, eg as having a meaning of process or
agentivity. The representative stative verbs be, hope, and resemble, are
illustrated in Table 4.28:
NORMAL NONPROGRESSIVE |
NONNORMAL PROGRESSIVE |
SPECIAL EFFECT OF PROGRESSIVE |
The neighbours are friendly. |
The neighbours are being friendly. |
Suggests that 'friendliness' is a form of behaviour (perhaps insincere). |
I hope you will come. |
I am hoping you will come. |
Makes the speaker's attitude more tentative and perhaps more polite. |
Tina resembles her sister. |
Tina is resembling her sister more and more. |
With the comparative construction, the progressive turns the stative meaning into a process meaning. |
Note: * unacceptable
?* tending to acceptability
? native speakers unsure about acceptability
It follows that the use of "7", "8", and "9" is not normally possible; in the case of qualities, I am not aware that a reinterpretation should be possible. However, I am aware of the recent success of the expression "was being a smartass" (note that "is being a smartass" is not used), and so there is perhaps a tendancy towards acceptability.
Addition Here is an excerpt from Jespersen's grammar that would not have been deemed a superficial complement as a quote in CoGEL (but, of course, the size of books is a limiting factor); this après coup reference is the result of some research prompted by some critical comments, and I would gladly have used it initially if I had been aware of it (I have unfortunately never had the leisure to read Jespersen's grammar, by the way). (user LPH's bold type)
Jespersen, Modern English Grammar.
Examples: Keats 5.72 You will be glad to hear … how diligent I have been, and am being | Di D 488 they are always being hungry and discontented somewhere | Benson D 89 Dodo was making an effort to read, but she was not being very successful| Galsw D 193 I am sorry if you think I am being ungrateful | I'm being absurd, I know | Bennet A 205 Now, Mr. Price, the coroner said blandly, and it was plain that he was being ceremoniously polite | NP ' 08 It is very painful to be thought obstinate when one is merely being firm | Russell Soc Reconstr 114 In acting as they do they imagine that they are being virtuous.
14.7(4) The predicative is generally an adjective denoting some characteristic mental or moral quality, and very often a transitory condition or behaviour is meant in contrast to the person's habitual or real character (cf. the contrast in Spanish between soy and estoy, and similar distinctions made in different ways in other languages PG 280). The transitoriness is particularly clear in quotations like these:
Walpole OL 124 He was only being kind for the moment | id Cp 125 Or was he only being friendly because he was happy? | Wells Br 5 over here we ate being and over there you are beginning | id TB 1. 152 She's been a model—she is a model really [has just been—is professionally] | Shaw A 71 don't be horrid … I'm not being horrid. I'm not going to be horrid.
14.7(5) Examples with substantives as predicatives are rarer and comparatively unnatural:
Benson D 2.309 then I was being a woman, now I am talking as an artist | Lawrence L 191 She was being a heroine in a romance | Wells JP 618 in certain matters you are being a fool