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Guest Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
Gerund/Subject Problem
I have a few questions about this sentence from Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas.
"That is the reason for your being shut up in the Bastille."
Would "being shut up in the Bastille" be a gerund phrase, and therefore be acting as a noun?
If it is a gerund phrase, then what would be the simple subject.... "being shut up in the Bastille" or "That"?
If you could please respond, I would be very much obliged. Thank you!
"That is the reason for your being shut up in the Bastille."
Would "being shut up in the Bastille" be a gerund phrase, and therefore be acting as a noun?
If it is a gerund phrase, then what would be the simple subject.... "being shut up in the Bastille" or "That"?
If you could please respond, I would be very much obliged. Thank you!
Top answer
"X is the reason for Y" is the structure. "that" is the subject. "your being shut up in the Bastille" is a gerund phrase (noun phrase) acting as the object of the preposition "for".
- "X is the reason for Y" is the structure.
- "that" is the subject.
- "your being shut up in the Bastille" is a gerund phrase (noun phrase) acting as the object of the preposition "for".
- CJ
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1 Answers
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"X is the reason for Y" is the structure.
"that" is the subject.
"your being shut up in the Bastille" is a gerund phrase (noun phrase) acting as the object of the preposition "for".
CJ
"that" is the subject.
"your being shut up in the Bastille" is a gerund phrase (noun phrase) acting as the object of the preposition "for".
CJ
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