[General] "Me going to Africa" or "My going to Africa"

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BigMak

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Which one of the following two sentences is correct?

1. "It isn't the question of me going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

2. "It isn't the question of my going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".
 
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Richard1

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Which one of the following two sentences is correct?

1. "It isn't the question of me going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

2. "It isn't the question of my going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

Hi,

Number 2
However the, "only of whom I should go with" doesn't make sense. What is it meant to be indicating?
 

mykwyner

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Here's the sense I make of these two sentences:


1. "It isn't the question of me going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

In this sentence, the word me is the object of "question of." This means "...the question of me [or someone else] going to Africa."



2. "It isn't the question of my going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

In this sentence, the word going is the object of "question of." My is a possessive pronoun functioning like an adjective, and going is a gerund functioning as a noun. This means "...the question of my going [or not going] to Africa."

By the way, the use of the objective case pronoun whom is correct here.
 

5jj

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However the, "only of whom I should go with" doesn't make sense. What is it meant to be indicating?
It makes sense:

It isn't the question of my going to Africa", said the new manager, "only (the question) of whom I should go with".
 

BigMak

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Hi,

Number 2
However the, "only of whom I should go with" doesn't make sense. What is it meant to be indicating?

Thanks Richard for your reply. And what fivejedjon replied is correct.
 

BigMak

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Here's the sense I make of these two sentences:


1. "It isn't the question of me going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

In this sentence, the word me is the object of "question of." This means "...the question of me [or someone else] going to Africa."



2. "It isn't the question of my going to Africa", said the new manager, "only of whom I should go with".

In this sentence, the word going is the object of "question of." My is a possessive pronoun functioning like an adjective, and going is a gerund functioning as a noun. This means "...the question of my going [or not going] to Africa."

By the way, the use of the objective case pronoun whom is correct here.

Thanks mykwyner for your perspicuous reply. Now I understand it better. I have one doubt though - from your explanation I infer both of the sentences are grammatically correct, just that chances of sentence no.2 occurring is more plausible in the real world. Am I correct?

Re-writing the sentences to make them self-explanatory -

1. "It isn't the question of me or someone else going to Africa", said the new manager, "only (the question) of whom I should go with".

2. "It isn't the question of my going or not going to Africa", said the new manager, "only (the question) of whom I should go with".
 

Bide

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You can use either me or my. Both are correct. me is the oblique case of I, but you may not use I there. (search "me going to" for many examples)
In my opinion, the use of me in such constructions is an historical confusion, and it is really a phonological variant of my. my developed from mine, which was shortened to mi, (mine >mi = my) which some pronounced me.
Us Cockneys still use me that way: Give us me shoes. That's me car. That is to say, in your sentences, me and my are probably phonological variants of the modern English possessive pronoun my. It makes very little sense to use an oblique case personal pronoun before a verbal noun.

I can't agree with mykwyner's interpretation, since I can't interpret me in your sentence as the oblique case pronoun me. Also, the second part of the sentence quotes said lucky new manager: 'only of whom I should go with'. This clearly states his intention to go. The only question that remains there is: will he/she take his/her wife/husband or his/her secretary with him? Tough one that!
 

5jj

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I can't agree with mykwyner's interpretation, since I can't interpret me in your sentence as the oblique case pronoun me.

I feel that Myhwyner' interpretation is correct, and your theory about me being a variant of my is, in this case, not.

Try this:

"It isn't the question of him/his going to Africa", said the new manager.

"It isn't the question of us/our going to Africa", said the new manager.

In all these utterances we are dealing with the much-debated question of whether we should use the object form of the pronoun or the possessive adjective.
 

mykwyner

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Bide,

English has an oblique case? After 18 years of schooling in it, 20 years of teaching it and over 60 years of speaking it, this is the first time I've ever heard of an oblique case in English.

Save the teaching for the teachers.
 
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