hich takes the progressive
form occasionally in a passive sense; but, in arguing against the new
substitute, he evidently remoulds the early reasoning of Dr. Bullions,
errors and all; a part of which he introduces thus: "I know the correctness
of this mode of expression has lately been very much assailed, and an
attempt, to some extent successful, has been made [,] to introduce the form
[,] _'is being built.'_ But, in the first place, the old mode of expression
is a well established usage of the language, being found in our best and
most correct writers. Secondly, _is being built_ does not convey the idea
intended, [;] namely [,] that of _progressive action. Is being_, taken
together, means simply _is_, just as _is writing_ means _writes_;
therefore, _is being built_ means _is built_, a perfect and not a
progressive ACTION. Or, if _being_ [and] _built_ be taken together, _they
signify an_ ACTION COMPLETE, and the phrase means, as before, _the house
is_ (EXISTS) _being built_."--_Hart's Gram._, p. 76. The last three
sentences here are liable to many objections, some of which are suggested
above.

OBS. 26.--It is important, that the central phraseology of our language be
so understood, as not to be _misinterpreted with credit_, or falsely
expounded by popular critics and teachers. Hence errors of _exposition_ are
the more particularly noticed in these observations. In "_being built_,"
Prof. Hart, like sundry authors named above, finds nothing but "ACTION
COMPLETE." Without doubt, Butler interprets better, when he says, "'The
house _is built_,' denotes an _existing state_, rather than a _completed
action_." But this author, too, in his next three sentences, utters as many
errors; for he adds: "The name of the agent _cannot be expressed_ in
phrases of this kind. We _cannot say_, 'The house is built _by John_.' When
we say, 'The house is built by mechanics,' we _do not express an existing
state_."--_Butler's Practical Gram._, p. 80. Unquestionably, "_is built by
mechanics_," expresses _nothing else_ than the "_existing state_" of being
"built by mechanics," together with an affirmation:--that is, the "existing
state" of receiving the action of mechanics, is affirmed of "the house."
And, in my judgement, one may very well say, "_The house is built by
John_;" meaning, "_John is building the house._" St. Paul says, "Every
house _is builded by_ SOME MAN."--_Heb._, iii, 4. In this text, the common
"name of the agent" is "expressed