Expressing Possession of Gerunds
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Expressing Possession of Gerunds
A gerund is the present participle (-ing) form of a verb functioning as a noun in a sentence.
Example:
He responded by laughing. (The gerund “laughing” is the noun object of the preposition “by.”)
A gerund phrase is a gerund plus another element such as an adverb, an adjective, or a noun.
Example:
Saving money helps protect against unexpected expenses. (The gerund phrase “saving money” is the subject of the sentence; the noun “money” is the direct object of the gerund “saving.”)
Whether we are writing or speaking, a common source of confusion is the possession of a gerund by a noun or a pronoun. Which of the following is correct in formal communication?
We love the idea of their building a new house.
We love the idea of them building a new house.
One way to determine this is to look at the phrase as pronoun plus the word “action” (representing the gerund). Would we write “their action” or “them action”? We would write “their action.” Using a possessive noun or pronoun to describe an action (gerund) is the proper formal usage: We love the idea of their building a new house.
Note: A possessive pronoun may also be referred to as a possessive adjective.
Correct: The woman’s (possessive noun) departing (gerund) so soon from the meeting surprised everyone.
Incorrect: The woman departing so soon from the meeting surprised everyone.
Correct: The Smiths said that our (possessive pronoun) traveling (gerund) to Indonesia has inspired them to do the same.
Incorrect: The Smiths said that us traveling to Indonesia has inspired them to do the same.
Correct: Did your parents approve of your (possessive pronoun) going (gerund) to the prom?
Incorrect: Did your parents approve of you going to the prom?
On occasion, we may wish to place greater emphasis on the actor instead of the action. In this case, we would not use a possessive noun or pronoun with a gerund; rather, we would use a non-possessive noun or an objective pronoun (e.g., me, him, us, them) modified by a participle serving as an adjective.
This usage may be influenced by the context or wording in which it appears.
Example: The mysterious woman departing from the meeting early almost went unnoticed, but Jackie saw her go. (The noun “woman” is the sentence subject modified by the participle “departing.” The focus is more on the actor than the action.)
The following comparisons further reinforce the difference between a possessive noun or pronoun + gerund and an objective noun or pronoun + participle:
Jake’s lifting the full beer keg was impressive. (“Lifting” is a gerund preceded by a possessive noun so we know the emphasis is on the act of lifting.)
We saw Jake lifting the full beer keg. (“Lifting” is a participle modifying an objective noun so we know the emphasis is on the actor rather than the action.)
Note that we should avoid awkward use of a possessive noun or pronoun and a gerund.
Awkward: The committee agreed on someone’s being sent to meet with the union representative.
Better: The committee agreed on sending someone to meet with the union representative.
By ensuring proper pairings between gerunds and possessive nouns or pronouns, we can communicate with greater precision that shows our care for good grammar.
Pop Quiz
Using what you’ve learned in this article, choose the correct gerund phrase emphasizing the action in each sentence.
1. [Samantha’s singing / Samantha singing] impressed the audience.
2. We’re reading the article about [Bob climbing / Bob’s climbing] Mt. Everest.
3. Have you heard of [him running / his running] for park district commissioner?
4. I’m looking forward to [their cooking / them cooking] at the block party this weekend.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. Samantha’s singing impressed the audience.
2. We’re reading the article about Bob’s climbing Mt. Everest.
3. Have you heard of his running for park district commissioner?
4. I’m looking forward to their cooking at the block party this weekend.
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Excellent article as it explains the usage of gerunds. It helped me a lot.
Thank you.
I was just wondering whether what you’re referring to in the above article on “Expressing possession of Gerunds” as “possessive pronouns” should really be “possessive adjectives” instead. My understanding is that possessive pronouns are: Mine, yours, his, hers, theirs and ours, while possessive adjectives are: My, your, etc.
The terms “possessive pronoun” and “possessive adjective” are synonymous and therefore interchangeable.
After hearing the incorrect and ubiquitous use of the gerund phrase in recent years, I began questioning my own use of it. Thank you for the thorough explanation, examples, and the pronoun plus “action” testing model.
Thank you for the kind words. We’re glad the article was helpful to you.
I liked very much this message on possession of gerunds. You might mention in some future article that the sentences in which the emphasis is on the actor and not on the action often contain verbs of perception. “We saw (heard, watched, etc.) the children playing in the garden.”
We agree that is a logical (and astute) observation, as verbs of perception are transitive (i.e., they take direct objects). Direct objects would be modified by participles rather than gerunds.
We will mark this for potential inclusion should we revisit the subject.
Wouldn’t this also be an example of a participle phrase if a comma was put after ‘woman’? The woman, departing so soon from the meeting, surprised everyone. Or, Departing so soon from the meeting, the woman surprised everyone. Thanks for any clarification.
Yes, although the phrasing might sound awkward to some, the usage you specify would exemplify a non-restrictive participial phrase (i.e., one that can be moved in the sentence).
What about plural possessive gerunds? (I’m not sure if I labeled the following case correctly.) Would it be correct to say, “…athletes’ understanding the rules of the sport?”
If you are referring to more than one athlete, writing “athletes’ understanding” is correct.
Even I agree to the wrong usage of the terms possessive pronouns for possessive adjectives. They are not interchangeable. Possessive pronouns stane alone in a sentence: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs whereas possessive adjectives follow a noun: my book, your paper, his decision, ……her, its, our, their
Prescriptive grammarians (as opposed to descriptive ones) would agree with you that technically a separation does exist between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives. However, as we sometimes see with grammatical interpretation, prescriptive and descriptive viewpoints can enter each other’s linguistic campgrounds.
For purposes of grammatical discussion, the line between possessive pronouns and adjectives has blurred over time such that some resources and authorities now refer to them interchangeably. Prescriptivists are justified in maintaining the distinction. At the same time, descriptivists will typically understand the point being made when the two groups of possessors are mentioned interchangeably.
How would you punctuate the following? I’m still not sure, even thought the article did enlighten me:
“For example, concerns about the risk of Russian oligarchs (or oligarchs’) using cryptocurrencies to evade sanctions may be overstated.”
I have many examples of this in a book I’m editing and would appreciate your thoughts.
If the emphasis is on the cryptocurrencies, we would write “…the risk of Russian oligarchs’ using cryptocurrencies…”
If the emphasis is more about the oligarchs than the cryptocurrencies, we would write “…the risk of Russian oligarchs using cryptocurrencies…”
Should we say “the action led to the criminals hiding in their house” or “the action led to the criminals’ hiding in their house”? I suppose you can change “criminal” to “them” and “criminals'” to “their,” but do I need to use a possessive form? Also, I’m aware that it would be simpler to say “led the criminals to hide,” but I often see “lead to + noun / pronoun + v.ing” — so I’m wondering. Thank you so much.
Great post, very informative. After 28 years, I have finally used it right!
Using a possessive noun or pronoun to describe an action (gerund) is typically the correct formal usage: “the action led to the criminals’ hiding in their house.”
As the article states, there might also be times when the writer wishes to place greater emphasis on the actor instead of the action. In this case, we would use a non-possessive noun or an objective pronoun (e.g., me, him, us, them) modified by a participle serving as an adjective: “the action led to the criminals [noun] hiding in their house [participial phrase].”
Such use is strictly a matter of a writer’s intent for a particular reason. If you use a possessive noun or pronoun for modifying a gerund as is most common, you will be correct.
One way I would try to explain it to people would be to keep in mind that someone has to own the action. Example:
The problem is not with him (singing): It’s his singing that bothers everyone.