I’ve heard eloquent speakers make the same grammar mistake: instead of using a possessive determiner (my, your, our) to describe a gerund, they use a pronoun (me, you, we). But what the heck does all that mean? And have you been making the same mistake? Let’s break it down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A gerund<\/strong> is a verb that is transformed into a noun by the addition of -ing<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Clean<\/em>, write<\/em>, and play<\/em> are examples of verbs. When you add -ing,<\/em> you get cleaning<\/em>, writing<\/em>, and playing<\/em>, and now, these verbs have magically become nouns! Neat, huh?<\/p>\n\n\n\n More examples of gerunds:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Verb<\/strong>: be Verb: <\/strong>edit Verb<\/strong>: share What’s wrong with all of these sentences?<\/strong> Would you ever say, “I appreciate you<\/strong> card,” or, “I told them about you<\/strong> business?” Of course not. You would say, “I appreciate your<\/strong> card,” and, “I told them about your<\/strong> business.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, remember: gerunds are nouns, just like card<\/em> and business<\/em> in the example above. So when you’re describing a noun, you would use a possessive (his, her, your, our, their, my) and not a pronoun (he, him, she, you, they, them, me). Therefore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I appreciate your<\/strong> coming over.” Gerunds are often used when discussing other people and the things they do. For instance, if someone says, “I appreciate you coming over,” he’s trying to express his gratitude for you<\/em>. That’s not such a bad thing. But what he really appreciates is your coming over<\/em>, that is, the thing that you<\/em> did, not necessarily you<\/em> as a person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s an understandable mistake (and kind of sweet!), but it’s still incorrect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re interested in improving your grammar skills, I recommend installing Grammarly.<\/a> This browser addition instantly proofreads your texts for correct grammar and punctuation. I wrote about Grammarly and three other helpful writing apps that I use here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more tips on writing and advertising, enter your email below for occasional updates from Charles Ave Marketing. <\/p>\n\n\n
Noun:<\/strong> being<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noun:<\/strong> editing<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Noun:<\/strong> sharing<\/p>\n\n\n\nOwning your gerunds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
“I appreciate you coming over.”
“I told them about you being a real estate agent.”
“I like him covering that song.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I told them about your<\/strong> being a real estate agent.”
“I like his<\/strong> covering that song.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy the mistake is so common<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Test yourself<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Want more grammar help?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Join the neighborhood<\/h2>\n\n\n\n