********** NOT A TEACHER **********
Hello, Notletrest.
(1) I wanted to answer you because I think that I have the correct
answer: NO, you may not say, "The rooms are painting,"
BUT !!!!!
That WAS good English many years ago.
*****
Dr. George O. Curme in his scholarly A GRAMMAR OF THE ENGLISH
LANGUAGE explains:
(a) Between the years 1700 -1825, this kind of sentence was often
used.
(b) Today we MUST say, "The house is being built."
(c) In earlier days, these forms were "good" English:
The house is in building
The house is a-building
The house is building
(d) Dr. Curme says that starting in 1825, the form with
being + past participle won the competition.
Thank you!