is being done (the passive, in progress) (B2 Grammar)

You know the plain passive: the car is washed. For something happening to it right now, in progress, add being: is / are being + the past participle.

is / are being + the past participle

• Someone is renovating the building. → The building is being renovated.
• They are processing your order. → Your order is being processed.
• A team is investigating the issue. → The issue is being investigated.
• Not "The building is renovating at the moment." — say "The building is being renovated at the moment.". For a passive in progress, put being before the past participle: is being renovated.
• Try it: Staff are cleaning the windows right now. Staff are cleaning the windows right now. Say it about the windows. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: The windows are being cleaned right now. — It's happening to the windows in progress, so use are being + the past participle: The windows are being cleaned. "Cleaning" would mean the windows do the cleaning, so leave it out. The past participle after being is what makes it passive.

what the past participle is

The past participle is the part that comes after being. For most verbs, take the base verb and add -ed: clean → cleaned, process → processed, update → updated. But many common verbs are irregular — you have to learn their past participle: build → built, take → taken, write → written, give → given, make → made, do → done.

• Regular (-ed): repair → repaired, investigate → investigated, water → watered.
• Irregular: steal → stolen, break → broken, drive → driven, hold → held.
• In use: They are writing the report. → The report is being written (not writed).
• Not "The report is being writed right now." — say "The report is being written right now.". Write is irregular: its past participle is written, not writed. Regular verbs add -ed; irregular ones you memorise.
• Try it: A designer is writing the report right now. A designer is writing the report right now. Say it about the report. (Leave out the words you don't need.) Answer: The report is being written right now. — Write is irregular, so its past participle is written, not "writed": The report is being written. "Writing" would mean the report does the writing, so leave it out. After being you always need the past participle.

was / were being + the past participle

For a passive that was in progress at a past moment, use was / were being + the past participle. Same idea, shifted to the past.

• Doctors were treating the patients then. → The patients were being treated then.
• They were painting the office when I arrived. → The office was being painted when I arrived.
• Police were questioning him at the time. → He was being questioned at the time.
• Try it: A crew was repairing the road when we drove past. A crew was repairing the road when we drove past. Say it about the road. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: The road was being repaired when we drove past. — It was happening to the road at that past moment, so use was being + the past participle: The road was being repaired. "Repairing" would mean the road did the repairing, so leave it out. Was being + the past participle keeps it passive and in progress.

don't drop the being

The most common mistake is dropping being. The system is updated is the plain passive — it sounds finished. For something in progress right now, you must keep being: The system is being updated. Don't shrink is being down to a bare is.

• Finished: The report is written. / In progress: The report is being written.
• ✗ The road is repaired right now. → ✓ The road is being repaired right now.
• Keep both parts: is / are / was / were + being + past participle.
• Not "The pool is cleaned at the moment." — say "The pool is being cleaned at the moment.". "Is cleaned" drops the being and sounds finished. For in progress, keep it: is being cleaned.
• Try it: A technician is updating the system right now. A technician is updating the system right now. Say it the passive way. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: The system is being updated right now. — For a passive in progress, you need the full is being + the past participle: The system is being updated. A bare "is" with the past participle drops the being and sounds finished, not in progress, so leave it out. Keep the being.

making it negative or a question

To make the in-progress passive negative, put not after is/are/was/were: is not / isn't being + past participle. To make a question, move is / are / was / were in front of the subject: Is the report being prepared? The being + past participle part never changes.

• Negative: The road is being repaired. → The road isn't being repaired yet.
• Negative (past): The office was being painted. → The office wasn't being painted at the time.
• Question: Is the system being updated right now?
• Question (past): Was the patient being treated when you arrived?
• Try it: Right now, nobody is watering the plants. Right now, nobody is watering the plants. Say it about the plants, in the negative. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: The plants are not being watered right now. — For a negative in-progress passive, put not after are: The plants are not being watered. The being + past participle stays the same; only "not" is added. "Watering" would make the plants do the watering, so leave it out.
• Try it: Someone is preparing the report. Someone is preparing the report. Ask whether it's in progress right now, the passive way. (Leave out the word you don't need.) Answer: Is the report being prepared right now? — For a passive question in progress, move Is in front of the subject: Is the report being prepared? The being + past participle part is unchanged. "Preparing" would make the report do the preparing, so leave it out.