Are being vs. have been

[Obay]

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #118 "Passive Tense Forms", question 3

All these houses ......... neglected for decades.

(a) will be
(b) are being
(c) has been
(d) have been

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #118 "Passive Tense Forms", answer 3

All these houses have been neglected for decades.

Correct answer: (d) have been

Your answer was: incorrect
All these houses are being neglected for decades.
_________________________

why I cant use "are being" intead of "have been"?

[Alan]

Hi,

If you use are being, this would mean at the moment/at this time. The sentence ends with for decades, which refers to the period from then until now and for that you need the Present Perfect Passive have been neglected and not the Present Continuous Passive.

Hopeful of helping.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple