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Shouldn't there be "us" instead of "our" in this sentence?
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Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
Why is the “Present continuous” used?Can least be used without the in this sentence?Is “was there anybody there” be “was anybody there” instead?Comparing issuepronouns as subjects or objectsError correction of a sentenceCan we use that instead of there?Why is there no subject between “guess” and “getting”? and why does this sentence use “guess” instead of “guessed”?Shouldn't there be “he” instead of “his” in this sentence?Shouldn't there be “loath” instead of “loathe” in this sentence?
.everyoneloves__top-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__mid-leaderboard:empty,.everyoneloves__bot-mid-leaderboard:empty margin-bottom:0;
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:
And of course we understand that "irregardless" is generally thought to be incorrect; that's why the lengthy usage paragraph suggests -- in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists -- that people use "regardless" instead of "irregardless".
I think there should be "us" instead of "our" in the sentence. Shouldn't it be so?
grammar
add a comment |
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:
And of course we understand that "irregardless" is generally thought to be incorrect; that's why the lengthy usage paragraph suggests -- in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists -- that people use "regardless" instead of "irregardless".
I think there should be "us" instead of "our" in the sentence. Shouldn't it be so?
grammar
add a comment |
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:
And of course we understand that "irregardless" is generally thought to be incorrect; that's why the lengthy usage paragraph suggests -- in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists -- that people use "regardless" instead of "irregardless".
I think there should be "us" instead of "our" in the sentence. Shouldn't it be so?
grammar
I read a sentence in Word by Word by Kory Stamper which was:
And of course we understand that "irregardless" is generally thought to be incorrect; that's why the lengthy usage paragraph suggests -- in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists -- that people use "regardless" instead of "irregardless".
I think there should be "us" instead of "our" in the sentence. Shouldn't it be so?
grammar
grammar
edited 7 hours ago
Andrew
81.3k6 gold badges87 silver badges174 bronze badges
81.3k6 gold badges87 silver badges174 bronze badges
asked 9 hours ago
kelvinkelvin
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1726 bronze badges
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3 Answers
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Given that the author used to work as an editor for the largest American dictionary publisher, it's more likely that the phrasing is deliberate and accurate. Assuming that, we can then figure out its structure and how it is grammatical.
"Our" is a possessive pronoun, so what follows must be something that can be possessed, i.e. a noun of some kind. Consider this similar structure:
In spite of their old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
They possess the opinions, so we use the possessive pronoun "their". Outside of certain dialects, we would not say, "In spite of they opinions". That's not grammatical.
"Being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase that acts like a noun, and again, something that can be possessed by us. Expanding on the previous example:
In spite of their having old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
Possessive + gerund phrase. It's the same with "our":
In spite of our having old-fashioned opinions, we can be open to new ideas.
Grammar-wise using "us" changes "being" from a gerund to a verb, but there's little difference in meaning. The difference is in the style, and also in the nuance. The sentence clearly refers to some earlier comment where someone called them "liberal commie descriptivists" (for insisting "irregardless" is not a word), and suggests something like:
in spite of (us possessing the quality they said we have) ...
just with fewer words. In the right context, this use of the possessive pronoun can sound a little more sophisticated.
add a comment |
"Our" is correct grammar here. There's a subtle difference between using us and using our, though both are correct. Using "us" implies that the "being" is a verb, so it focuses more on the act of being liberal commie descriptivists; using "our" means that that "being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase, which function as a noun, and focuses more on that as their identity. There's hardly a difference, though.
add a comment |
The question is Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
In this instance our is a pronoun, the meaning of which is belonging to us. Let's try a substitution.
in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists
in spite of belonging to us liberal commie descriptivists
"our"
pronoun: belonging to or connected with us; the possessive form of we, used before a noun: C.E.D.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
add a comment |
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3 Answers
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Given that the author used to work as an editor for the largest American dictionary publisher, it's more likely that the phrasing is deliberate and accurate. Assuming that, we can then figure out its structure and how it is grammatical.
"Our" is a possessive pronoun, so what follows must be something that can be possessed, i.e. a noun of some kind. Consider this similar structure:
In spite of their old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
They possess the opinions, so we use the possessive pronoun "their". Outside of certain dialects, we would not say, "In spite of they opinions". That's not grammatical.
"Being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase that acts like a noun, and again, something that can be possessed by us. Expanding on the previous example:
In spite of their having old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
Possessive + gerund phrase. It's the same with "our":
In spite of our having old-fashioned opinions, we can be open to new ideas.
Grammar-wise using "us" changes "being" from a gerund to a verb, but there's little difference in meaning. The difference is in the style, and also in the nuance. The sentence clearly refers to some earlier comment where someone called them "liberal commie descriptivists" (for insisting "irregardless" is not a word), and suggests something like:
in spite of (us possessing the quality they said we have) ...
just with fewer words. In the right context, this use of the possessive pronoun can sound a little more sophisticated.
add a comment |
Given that the author used to work as an editor for the largest American dictionary publisher, it's more likely that the phrasing is deliberate and accurate. Assuming that, we can then figure out its structure and how it is grammatical.
"Our" is a possessive pronoun, so what follows must be something that can be possessed, i.e. a noun of some kind. Consider this similar structure:
In spite of their old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
They possess the opinions, so we use the possessive pronoun "their". Outside of certain dialects, we would not say, "In spite of they opinions". That's not grammatical.
"Being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase that acts like a noun, and again, something that can be possessed by us. Expanding on the previous example:
In spite of their having old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
Possessive + gerund phrase. It's the same with "our":
In spite of our having old-fashioned opinions, we can be open to new ideas.
Grammar-wise using "us" changes "being" from a gerund to a verb, but there's little difference in meaning. The difference is in the style, and also in the nuance. The sentence clearly refers to some earlier comment where someone called them "liberal commie descriptivists" (for insisting "irregardless" is not a word), and suggests something like:
in spite of (us possessing the quality they said we have) ...
just with fewer words. In the right context, this use of the possessive pronoun can sound a little more sophisticated.
add a comment |
Given that the author used to work as an editor for the largest American dictionary publisher, it's more likely that the phrasing is deliberate and accurate. Assuming that, we can then figure out its structure and how it is grammatical.
"Our" is a possessive pronoun, so what follows must be something that can be possessed, i.e. a noun of some kind. Consider this similar structure:
In spite of their old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
They possess the opinions, so we use the possessive pronoun "their". Outside of certain dialects, we would not say, "In spite of they opinions". That's not grammatical.
"Being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase that acts like a noun, and again, something that can be possessed by us. Expanding on the previous example:
In spite of their having old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
Possessive + gerund phrase. It's the same with "our":
In spite of our having old-fashioned opinions, we can be open to new ideas.
Grammar-wise using "us" changes "being" from a gerund to a verb, but there's little difference in meaning. The difference is in the style, and also in the nuance. The sentence clearly refers to some earlier comment where someone called them "liberal commie descriptivists" (for insisting "irregardless" is not a word), and suggests something like:
in spite of (us possessing the quality they said we have) ...
just with fewer words. In the right context, this use of the possessive pronoun can sound a little more sophisticated.
Given that the author used to work as an editor for the largest American dictionary publisher, it's more likely that the phrasing is deliberate and accurate. Assuming that, we can then figure out its structure and how it is grammatical.
"Our" is a possessive pronoun, so what follows must be something that can be possessed, i.e. a noun of some kind. Consider this similar structure:
In spite of their old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
They possess the opinions, so we use the possessive pronoun "their". Outside of certain dialects, we would not say, "In spite of they opinions". That's not grammatical.
"Being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase that acts like a noun, and again, something that can be possessed by us. Expanding on the previous example:
In spite of their having old-fashioned opinions, they can be open to new ideas.
Possessive + gerund phrase. It's the same with "our":
In spite of our having old-fashioned opinions, we can be open to new ideas.
Grammar-wise using "us" changes "being" from a gerund to a verb, but there's little difference in meaning. The difference is in the style, and also in the nuance. The sentence clearly refers to some earlier comment where someone called them "liberal commie descriptivists" (for insisting "irregardless" is not a word), and suggests something like:
in spite of (us possessing the quality they said we have) ...
just with fewer words. In the right context, this use of the possessive pronoun can sound a little more sophisticated.
edited 4 hours ago
answered 7 hours ago
AndrewAndrew
81.3k6 gold badges87 silver badges174 bronze badges
81.3k6 gold badges87 silver badges174 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
"Our" is correct grammar here. There's a subtle difference between using us and using our, though both are correct. Using "us" implies that the "being" is a verb, so it focuses more on the act of being liberal commie descriptivists; using "our" means that that "being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase, which function as a noun, and focuses more on that as their identity. There's hardly a difference, though.
add a comment |
"Our" is correct grammar here. There's a subtle difference between using us and using our, though both are correct. Using "us" implies that the "being" is a verb, so it focuses more on the act of being liberal commie descriptivists; using "our" means that that "being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase, which function as a noun, and focuses more on that as their identity. There's hardly a difference, though.
add a comment |
"Our" is correct grammar here. There's a subtle difference between using us and using our, though both are correct. Using "us" implies that the "being" is a verb, so it focuses more on the act of being liberal commie descriptivists; using "our" means that that "being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase, which function as a noun, and focuses more on that as their identity. There's hardly a difference, though.
"Our" is correct grammar here. There's a subtle difference between using us and using our, though both are correct. Using "us" implies that the "being" is a verb, so it focuses more on the act of being liberal commie descriptivists; using "our" means that that "being liberal commie descriptivists" is a gerund phrase, which function as a noun, and focuses more on that as their identity. There's hardly a difference, though.
answered 7 hours ago
ShowsniShowsni
9174 bronze badges
9174 bronze badges
add a comment |
add a comment |
The question is Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
In this instance our is a pronoun, the meaning of which is belonging to us. Let's try a substitution.
in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists
in spite of belonging to us liberal commie descriptivists
"our"
pronoun: belonging to or connected with us; the possessive form of we, used before a noun: C.E.D.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
add a comment |
The question is Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
In this instance our is a pronoun, the meaning of which is belonging to us. Let's try a substitution.
in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists
in spite of belonging to us liberal commie descriptivists
"our"
pronoun: belonging to or connected with us; the possessive form of we, used before a noun: C.E.D.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
add a comment |
The question is Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
In this instance our is a pronoun, the meaning of which is belonging to us. Let's try a substitution.
in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists
in spite of belonging to us liberal commie descriptivists
"our"
pronoun: belonging to or connected with us; the possessive form of we, used before a noun: C.E.D.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
The question is Shouldn't there be “us” instead of “our” in this sentence?
In this instance our is a pronoun, the meaning of which is belonging to us. Let's try a substitution.
in spite of our being liberal commie descriptivists
in spite of belonging to us liberal commie descriptivists
"our"
pronoun: belonging to or connected with us; the possessive form of we, used before a noun: C.E.D.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
answered 8 hours ago
BradBrad
5294 bronze badges
5294 bronze badges
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Brad is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
add a comment |
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
But that's not what the author is saying.
– kelvin
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@kelvin; could you please explain your comment.
– Brad
8 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@Brad- The author isn't trying to say that they are themselves descriptivists, not that they have persons who are descriptivists. The distinction between "us" and "our".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
1
1
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
Sorry, I wanted to write "The author is" not "The author isn't".
– kelvin
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
@kelvin Agreed and he does. He says it belongs to us liberal commie descriptivists....US object of a verb or a preposition to refer to a group that includes the speaker and at least one other person:
– Brad
7 hours ago
add a comment |
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