mind that sb.'s doing sth. - mind sb. doing sth.

[Lenka]

Is the sentence below correct or do I have to replace "I'm" with "me" to make it correct?

I hope you don't mind (that) I'm bothering you with such a question.


I hope you don't mind me bothering you with such a question.

[MrPedantic]

Hello Lenka,

1. I hope you don't mind that I'm X-ing you with Y.
2. I hope you don't mind the fact that I'm X-ing you with Y.
3. I hope you don't mind my X-ing you with Y.
4. I hope you don't mind me X-ing you with Y.

All the above are possible. #1 is quite formal; #2 is quite formal and wordy; #3 is moderately formal; #4 is neutral.

#4 is probably the commonest form, in ordinary English.

However, some people would prefer #3 to #4, on the grounds that "X-ing you with Y" can't be said to qualify "me", since "I hope you don't mind me", in isolation, would have a different meaning from its meaning in the sentence.

(I would disagree; "X-ing you with Y" looks like an idiomatic object complement, to me.)

All the best,

MrP

[Lenka]

Thank you for the good clarification, MrP!

I just don't understand too much, what you mean by the paragraph below:

Originally Posted by MrPedantic

However, some people would prefer #3 to #4, on the grounds that "X-ing you with Y" can't be said to qualify "me", since "I hope you don't mind me", in isolation, would have a different meaning from its meaning in the sentence.

(I would disagree; "X-ing you with Y" looks like an idiomatic object complement, to me.)

All the best,

MrP

How come they would prefer #3 to #4? #4 is completely correct, isn't it?

[MrPedantic]

Hello Lenka,

To me, both #3 and #4 are correct.

The structure in #3 is possessive + gerund ("my X-ing"); the structure in #4 is object pronoun + participle, e.g.

5. I hope you don't mind my asking

— "my" = possessive, "asking" = gerund; "my" qualifies "asking".

6. I hope you don't mind me asking

— "me" = object pronoun, "asking" = participle; "asking" qualifies "me".

However, #6 is a disputed usage: there are some teachers, authors of style guides, and grammarians who believe that it's incorrect.

Here's one such person.

As I say, I don't myself believe that it's incorrect; and it's a common structure, in ordinary spoken English. But if you're taking an exam, or applying for a job, it's as well to know that there are some people who dislike the structure!

All the best,

MrP

[BobK]

Originally Posted by MrPedantic

...
However, #6 is a disputed usage: there are some teachers, authors of style guides, and grammarians who believe that it's incorrect.

Here's one such person.

...

Thanks. It's good to know where the opposition's coming from. Oh dear - they probably wouldn't like that either; 'to finally know from where ...' Oops. Done it again.

Oh what a tangled web we weave
When first we practise to Getitwrite.

b