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Ask for help > Help needed please
Help needed please
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LadyT87
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Help needed please
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Hello there, could you please help me out with this one: Which one is correct: the risk of their/them declining the deal...? As far as I know gerunds work with possessives (thus "their" should be correct), but I´ve come across (native?) speakers using "them" instead, which sounds fine, too. That´s why I´d like to hear your expert opinions, thank you! kr |
9 Dec 2019
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LEESHAN
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the of them declining the deal. / the risk of their deal being declined |
9 Dec 2019
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almaz
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Yes, both are perfectly acceptable � although there are ill-informed sticklers and pedants who will insist that the possessive and only the possessive is correct with the gerund. The entry for the �possessive with gerund� in Merriam-Webster�s Dictionary of English Usage (the finest usage guide around, in my opinion) concludes with: "This construction, both with and without the possessive, has been used in writing for about 300 years. Both forms have been used by standard authors. Both forms have been called incorrect, but neither is." The MWDEU authors also make the point that much of the confusion arises from the tendency of traditional grammar teachers to graft Latin grammar rules onto English. And talking of Latin, many modern grammarians and linguists reject the notion of �gerund� as a separate sub-category in English grammar � preferring the label gerund-participle or, more simply, -ing participle. Come to think of it, you will be hard pushed to find the term gerund listed as a distinct form in any half-decent English grammar book these days.
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10 Dec 2019
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LadyT87
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Thank you so much for your answers, especially the detailed one with a source of reference ;-) |
10 Dec 2019
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