Possessive with a gerund?

[Laura Corin]

At least, I think that is what I wrote!

 

I wrote the following sentence in my work email and the 'your' was underlined as incorrect.  It's not the most elegant sentence, but is it wrong?

 

There won’t be any tutoring opportunities this semester, but it is still worthwhile your going on the course.

[eternalsummer]

Your sentence is correct, but it is not colloquial usage (even in the formal register for many people), so sometimes it sounds wrong to others' ears, even educated others.

[Tanaqui]

It definitely rings as wrong to me - and if it sounds wrong to the ears of a native speaker, then you should avoid it. (Unless this is some US/UK difference, in which case what the heck do I know?)

 

For the record, "your going on the course is still worthwhile" doesn't sound wrong to my ears, though I doubt I would use that construction.

[J-rap]

At least, I think that is what I wrote!

 

I wrote the following sentence in my work email and the 'your' was underlined as incorrect.  It's not the most elegant sentence, but is it wrong?

 

There won’t be any tutoring opportunities this semester, but it is still worthwhile your going on the course.

 

I don't think I would say it quite that way, but I can't really explain why.

 

But if you want to use "your," then "but your going on the course is still worthwhile" sounds fine to me.  ("Your taking the course" sounds even better, but maybe that part is regional.)

[Alessandra]

I don't know all the rules, but that is exactly how I would say it. I correct my children if they don't use a possessive. It just sounds wrong any other way.

 

Sorry you are suffering the indignity of being corrected when you are right, imo.

[wendyroo]

For me, the first issue is that I am not familiar with the usage "going on the course".  Well, I would understand going on an obstacle course, but I assume you are using course in the sense of class.  So "going on the course" = "taking the course/class"?

 

Even once I get passed that, it still sounds like a very awkward sentence to me.  I would probably change it to "There won’t be any tutoring opportunities this semester, but going on the course is still worthwhile."

 

Wendy

[Bocky]

I think with the adjective worthwhile it would sound better to have an infinitive. So but it is still worthwhile your going on the course would become but it is still worthwhile for you to go on the course.

[Laura Corin]

For me, the first issue is that I am not familiar with the usage "going on the course".  Well, I would understand going on an obstacle course, but I assume you are using course in the sense of class.  So "going on the course" = "taking the course/class"?

 

Even once I get passed that, it still sounds like a very awkward sentence to me.  I would probably change it to "There won’t be any tutoring opportunities this semester, but going on the course is still worthwhile."

 

Wendy

 

It's definitely clumsy, but I was just surprised to see it marked as wrong.

 

Yes, 'going on a course' is normal colloquial usage in the UK for taking a class.

[Arctic Bunny]

I think it marked it because "you are going" is used more often, and it's just a computer program :)

[Guest]

I would change the last part to:

 

... but your going on the course is still worthwhile....

 

which eliminates the unspecified "it".

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

It sounds fine to me, but I'm very possessive of my gerunds...  

 

:laugh:

[Mabelen]

I was taught that usage to be grammatically correct. Whoever corrected you is wrong.

[Ellie]

At least, I think that is what I wrote!

 

I wrote the following sentence in my work email and the 'your' was underlined as incorrect.  It's not the most elegant sentence, but is it wrong?

 

There won’t be any tutoring opportunities this semester, but it is still worthwhile your going on the course.

 

You were completely and absolutely correct. Sadly, many people do not understand this. :crying:

[fralala]

Personally, I vote for your sending that email.

[Ellie]

Personally, I vote for your sending that email.

 

:thumbup:

[Ausmumof3]

For some reason when I hear the us phrase taking the course it makes me think of taking medicine. Like it's just something you swallow because it's good for you. 😂

[City Mouse]

I would probably use say "attending the course"

[City Mouse]

I would probably use "attending the course"

[Laura Corin]

I would probably use "attending the course"

But that's a dialect issue.

[Kuovonne]

The "your" isn't why the sentence sounds odd to me. It sounds odd to me because I don't see how "your going on the course" relates grammatically to the rest of the sentence.

 

The main clause is "it is worthwhile," which is a subject + linking verb + prediate adjective sentence pattern.

If "your going on the course" is a gerund, it doesn't fit any of the roles of a noun in the sentence (not a subject or an object).

If "your going on the course" is a participle, it doesn't have a noun or pronoun to modify.

 

I would rephrase. Some options that sound okay to me:

- It is still worth your while to go on the course.

- It is still worthwhile to go on the course.

- Your going on the course is still worthwhile.

- Going on the course is still worthwhile.

- It is still worthwhile for you to go on the course.

[Kuovonne]

On further reflection, here are some other options:

 

"Your going on the course" could be a gerund phrase acting as a delayed appositive to the subject "it." Usually a delayed appositive needs a preceding comma; however, when the delayed appositive renames the subject pronoun "it," the comma is often omitted.

- It is still worthwhile, your going on the course.

- It is still worthwhile your going on the course. <--original version

 

If you take out the "r," "you going on the course" could be an asbolute phrase, which would need a comma.

- It is still worthwhile, you going on the course.