Possessive Before Gerund: NYTimes Editorial
Avoiding the Real Challenge
Published: February 8, 2005
And given Mr. Bush's preoccupation with Social Security, it's hard to imagine him wasting much effort on a leaner Pentagon budget or saner agricultural subsidies.
"Him" should be "his": possessive before the gerund
Published: February 8, 2005
And given Mr. Bush's preoccupation with Social Security, it's hard to imagine him wasting much effort on a leaner Pentagon budget or saner agricultural subsidies.
"Him" should be "his": possessive before the gerund
posted by twinkobie at
9:17 PM
1 Comments:
Well, I don't fully agree. What is hard to imagine: the "wasting of effort" which is an activity that belongs to an individual (his wasting...); or rather, the image of such person WHILE performing an action, namely "wasting much effort" (him -while- wasting...)?
In other words, it is for the speaker or writer to decide whether the object of "hard to imagine" is an activity (wasting) or a person doing something (him).
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home