In the following question, out of the four alternatives, select the alternative which will improve the bracketed part of the sentence. In case no improvement is needed, select "no improvement".\n\n"He (to be) positively rude."

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question focuses on choosing the appropriate form of the verb to be to complete the sentence He (to be) positively rude. The sentence describes someone's rude behaviour at a particular time in the past, suggesting a temporary or ongoing attitude rather than a permanent characteristic. The correct choice should reflect both the subject and the likely tense and aspect of the sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence: He (to be) positively rude.
• Subject: He, third person singular.
• Options: was being, were being, being, no improvement.
• We assume the statement is in the past, describing behaviour in a specific situation.

Concept / Approach:
For temporary behaviour in the past, English often uses the past continuous of be + being + adjective, for example He was being stubborn or She was being very kind. This construction emphasises that the behaviour was happening at that time, perhaps unusually. With the subject he, the correct past continuous form is was being, not were being. Using just being without an auxiliary is incomplete, and the original bracketed to be is not a finished verb form at all.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Decide on the tense: the use of positively rude suggests a comment about behaviour in a specific situation, typically described in the past. Step 2: Choose between simple past (He was positively rude) and past continuous with being (He was being positively rude). Step 3: Since the question offers was being as an option and the pattern He was being rude is very common to describe temporary behaviour, select was being. Step 4: Check subject verb agreement: He takes was, not were, so were being cannot be correct. Step 5: Recognise that being alone is incomplete without was or were.

Verification / Alternative check:
Insert each option into the sentence. He was being positively rude is natural and often used when describing how someone acted in a particular incident. He were being positively rude is wrong because were does not agree with he. He being positively rude is incomplete; we expect He is being or He was being. Leaving to be as it is (no improvement) gives He to be positively rude, which is ungrammatical. Thus, was being is the only fully correct and idiomatic option among the choices.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, were being, fails subject verb agreement because were goes with plural subjects or with you, not with he. Option C, being, lacks an auxiliary verb and therefore does not form a complete finite verb phrase. Option D, no improvement, keeps to be, which is an infinitive form and cannot function as the main verb of the sentence in this position. Only was being produces a correct and natural sentence.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to ignore subject verb agreement when focusing on the continuous aspect. Another is to think that being alone can serve as a finite verb without an auxiliary, which it cannot. Students sometimes also overthink the difference between He was rude and He was being rude. Both are possible, but given the choices, was being is the closest to the intended exam pattern here, emphasising the behaviour at a particular time.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is was being, so the sentence should read: He was being positively rude.