Please parse this sentence

[donnach]

I got used to your being here.


1. How would this sentence be parsed?

2. Is 'used to' a prepositional verb?

3. How does 'here', which is an adverb, modify 'being', which is a gerund (noun)?

4. What if 'your' was replaced with 'you', would the obect of 'to' be a fused participle of you and being?



Thank you in advance,

Donna

[Soup]

Hello, Donna.

Ex: I got used to your being here.


1. How would this sentence be parsed?
I [subject]
got [main verb]
used to [adjectival]
your being here [gerundival phrase]

2. Is 'used to' a prepositional verb?
No. Got is the verb. Used to is adjectival. Cf. I am used to...

3. How does 'here', which is an adverb, modify 'being', which is a gerund (noun)?
Gerunds are "verbal" nouns, meaning they have verbal qualities. So, they can indeed be modified by adverbs. The adverb here modifies the gerund being. We know it's an adverb because it answers the question Where?

4. What if 'your' was replaced with 'you', would the obect of 'to' be a fused participle of you and being?

Sorry. I don't understand your question. You is the object of used to in this sentence:

Ex: I got used to you being here.

And, in turn, being here modifies you.

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

I got used to your being here.

I will answer the second question.

"Here" is an adverb. Obviously an adverb does not modify a noun.

In fact it modifies "being", which is ocnsidered as a non-finite verb.

The original sentence was:

I got used to the fact [that you are here]

By applying some transformational rules, the above sentence became: ....your being here.

In fact, "being" is not a noun but a verb.


As for your question about your/you, actually it is NOT possible to use "you". Why? Because the subject of a non-finite verb should be "your" and not You. "You", when coming as a subject, must take a finite verb.

You are here
vs.
your being here.

Examples:

I do not agree that she stays here.
=>

I do not agree her staying here.

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

I got used to your being here.

I am not sure but I feel that the above sentence can be best parsed as follows:

I = Subject
Got = Verb (It is here a linking verb)
used to your being here = Compliment

to your being late = Post modifier/preopositional phrase
to = Head / preposition
your being late = post modifier for the preposition 'to"

your = subject , being = verb (non-finite) , here = adverbial


NB.
In parsing the above sentence, I followed Quirk et. al 1995. Comprehensive Grammar of English

[Soup]

Hello, Mohammed Abu Risha.

The problem with saying that being is not a noun, nominal your can't modify a verb, but it can modify other nominals (i.e., a gerund or a participle).

In addition, what are your thought here? Spoken English accepts this phrase, you being here. In fact, it's pefectly grammatical. How does Quirk et al deal with this?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

Soup

Thank you very much for your remark.

Interesting. Is it correct in spoken English to say "you"? very interesting indeed.

Randolph Quirck focuses only on written English grammar.

As for "your being" point, according to Strcuture 1 and Strcuture 2 (Two books in syntax which heavily rely on Quirk et al), a clause can be divided into two types (according to verb form parameter):

A finite clause (Example: You are here.)
A non-finite clause (Example: your being here)

The point I am raising now is that "your" DOES NOT modify "being". Rather, it is a subject!

To explain the matter we may review the classification of a non-finite clause according to subject:

Subject-explicit nonfinite clause
Subject-implicit nonfinite clause.

When you say:

your being here---> This clause is nonfinite. It has an EXPLICIT subject (that is: your) and a nonfinite verb: being.

When you say:

being here --> This clause in non-finite. It has an IMPLICIT subject (The subject is there but hidden) and it has a non-finite verb "being"

This issue is very complex and cannot in fact be encompassed in one or two posts.

Regards
Mar

[donnach]

used to [adjectival]
your being here [gerundival phrase]

2. Is 'used to' a prepositional verb?
No. Got is the verb. Used to is adjectival. Cf. I am used to...

Thank you for your response. How can I categorize 'used to', and its likenesses, as an adjectival? Past participle + preposition? Adjectival phrase? It's along the lines of 'familiar with', enamoured of, accustomed to, etc. I seem to need categories and boxes in order to comprehend grammar.

Sorry. I don't understand your question. You is the object of used to in this sentence:

Ex: I got used to you being here.

And, in turn, being here modifies you.

Sorry if this is overly simple, but what are we considering 'used to' for the purposes of it taking an object? A preposition? A verb?

And, can't we consider 'your being here' the nominal phrase and object of 'used to'?

And, I know you've pointed out that 'you being here' is grammatically correct, but isn't this is an anomaly? Usually a possessive is used with a gerund to clarify that it in fact is a gerund, because the subjective form would create confusion as to what the object is, you or your.

Thanks again for your help,

Donna

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

And, can't we consider 'your being here' the nominal phrase and object of 'used to'?

Look

First let us agree that:

to.....here

is in fact a prepositional phrase as it has a head/preposition.

After a preposition comes either:

a noun
a noun phrase

or

a noun clause

Thereofore, "your being here" is indeed a nominal clause fucntioning as a complement for the preposition (to).

[donnach]

Hello Mohammed,

I am not clear on what 'used to' is, among other issues. If you look at my post directly above this one - 2 up if we include yours - you can see where and how I am stuck.

Thank you for your help in advance,

Donna

[Mohammed Abu Risha]

I got used to your being here.

We were taught in the past that one way of analysing a sentence is through susbtitution:

I got sad
I got happy
I got better

Therefore, the element that comes after the copula "got" is an adjective.

sad, happy and better are all adjectives. By the same token, "used to your being here" is an adjective if we want to follow the substitution rule.

My feeling is that "used" is the head of the adjectival phrase "used to your being here". It should not be cosnidered as part of "used to" only.

Once again we may re-parse the sentence as follows:

I= This is a PRONOUN functioning as a SUBJECT

got = This is a COMPULA functioning as a VERB

used.....here = This is an ADJECTIVAL PHRASE functioning as a Subject COMPLEMENT

The adjectival phrase has a phrase inside:
to your being here= A Prepositional Phrase functionaing as POST MODIFIER (for "used")

This prepositional phrase in turn has a clause inside:

Your being here= Nominal Non-Finite Clause functioning as a Preposition COMPLEMENT

your= Pronoun functioning as a Subject for the clause
being = non-finite verb functioning as a verb for the clause
here= Adverb functioning as Adverbial for the clause