explain each other, is sufficiently shown
above; and thereby is refuted Sanborn's chief argument, that, "_is being
burned_," involves the contradiction of "_existing, burned_," or "_consumed
by fire_." According to his reasoning, as well as that of Bullions, _is
burned_ must mean _exists consumed; was burned, existed consumed_; and thus
our whole passive conjugation would often be found made up of bald
absurdities! That this new _unco-passive_ form conflicts with the older and
better usage of taking the progressive form sometimes passively, is
doubtless a good argument against the innovation; but that "Johnson and
Addison" are fit representatives of the older "practice" in this case, may
be doubted. I know not that the latter has anywhere made use of such
phraseology; and one or two examples from the former are scarcely an offset
to his positive verdict against the usage. See OBS. 3rd, above.

OBS. 10.--As to what is called "_the present_ or _the imperfect participle
passive_,"--as, "_being burned_," or "_being burnt_,"--if it is rightly
interpreted in _any_ of the foregoing citations, it is, beyond question,
very improperly _thus_ named. In participles, _ing_ denotes _continuance_:
thus _being_ usually means _continuing to be; loving, continuing to love;
building, continuing to build_,--or (as taken passively) _continuing to be
built_: i. e., (in words which express the sense more precisely and
certainly,) _continuing to be in process of construction_. What then is
"being built," but "_continuing to be built_," the same, or nearly the
same, as "_building_" taken passively? True it is, that _built_, when
alone, being a perfect participle, does not mean "_in process of
construction_," but rather, "_constructed_" which intimates _completion_;
yet, in the foregoing passive phrases, and others like them, as well as in
all examples of this unco-passive voice, continuance of the passive state
being first suggested, and cessation of the act being either regarded as
future or disregarded, the imperfect participle passive is for the most
part received as equivalent to the simple imperfect used in a passive
sense. But Dr. Bullions, who, after making "_is being built_ precisely
equivalent to _is built_," classes the two participles differently, and
both erroneously,--the one as a "_present_ participle," and the other, of
late, as a "_past_,"--has also said above, "'_Built_,' is a _perfect_
participle: and THEREFORE cannot, in _any