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According to the source " we can use an adverbial participle clause to express reason or cause as an alternative to a because/since/as clause. Using a participle clause in this way is more characteristic of written English or a literary style, rather than spoken colloquial English. Compare the following:

Being French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

Instead of :

Because he is French, he is passionate about wine and cheese.

Being a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

Rather than:

As I am a friend of Tony Blair, I'm often invited to No 10.

Being quite slim, I was able to squeeze through the hole in the railings.

Instead of:

Since I am quite slim I was able to squeeze through the hole in the railings.

Being rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through.

Rather than:

Because he's rather over weight, Geoffrey was unable to squeeze through."

So my question is that non-being sentences are too informal to use in a formal essay?

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    Because and since and as clauses are common in all registers; participle clauses with the same sense are found only in fairly formal English -- mostly written English.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Mar 3, 2015 at 15:29
  • @StoneyB so "Because and since and as clauses" could be formal or informal but participle clauses with the same sense are always formal.Which one would you prefer to use for an essay written at the university.
    – Mrt
    Mar 3, 2015 at 16:40
  • I'd be surprised to find I've used participle clauses like that ten times in the last 50 years. I don't much care for them.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Mar 3, 2015 at 16:43
  • In fact, I tend to construct these "because A, B" things more on the lines of "A, {so /therefore/consequently} B".
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    Mar 3, 2015 at 16:51
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    Just to say that I write prolifically and distain the use of participle clauses, especially present participle clauses. As a whole, participle clauses work much better in other languages, such as Greek and maybe the Romance languages, but do not function as well in English. They are very weak, since they do not have a conjugated verb. There is little sense of action to them. I write without them at all the time, except when I answer questions about them. :)
    – user6951
    Mar 3, 2015 at 17:38

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There are very few constructions in grammatically correct English that are only appropriate in formal vs. informal texts, and in my mind the best solution is to find materials in your areas of interest to read. Some of them will be more formal than others, and it will give you an idea of how different kinds of usage make their way in both scenarios.

Here's an informal sentence with a being-clause: My younger brother, being the lazy momma's boy everyone knows him to be, always gets away with not doing chores.

In other words, what makes an essay formal is the structure, and the clarity with which you're expected to express your ideas.

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