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Originally Posted by POLANA I found this sentence : "I don't mind you using the phone"
but as far as I know (though I couldn't explain why) it should go "I don't mind YOUR using the phone".
anybody could help with this ?
thanks in advance |
You are correct. In [1], the noun phrase "your using the phone" functions as the direct object of the verb "mind".
[1] I don't mind
your using the phone.
That's the way it should be, but language is fluid and speakers will change its structure now and then.
In [2], the structure has been restructured by changing "your" to "you".
[2] I don't mind
you using the phone.
Object Complement Test: you
are using the phone.
In [2], "you" functions as the direct object, and "using the phone", a participle phrase, is being used to modify "you", making it an object complement.