A: Why didn't you include this song in your newly released album?
B: _________ could be, it was a poor fit that had to be abandoned.(a) As pedestrian as
(b) Being as pedestrian as
(c) Having been as pedestrian as
(d) It was as pedestrian as
In this question, the right answer is (b).
According to Answers & Explanation, choice (a) is wrong because omitting "being" in a participial construction occurs only before 'past participle.'
Is that right?
I'm still thinking that (a) is not wrong in the sense that the given sentence is not a participial construction but rather a verbless clause where adjectives—here, pedestrian—can be used as a sentence starter.
Thank you in advance.