"he being" or "him being"

Question

I need help editing part of a quote, to replace a specific name with "he" or "him". I'm not sure the last portion is at all correct, but I'm trying not to rewrite the entire line.

"Sometimes it makes me sad though, Andy being gone."

to:
"Sometimes it makes me sad though, he being gone." or "... him being gone".
Thank you,
Bob

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]I need help editing part of a quote, to replace a specific name with "he" or "him". I'm not sure ... though, Andy being gone." to: "Sometimes it makes me sad though, he being gone." or "... him being gone".[/nq]
Sometimes if you re-cast the sentence you not only eliminate the specific problem, but you'll also have a better result. Such as:

"Sometimes though, his absence makes me sad."
I call that editing, not rewriting.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I need help editing part of a quote, to replace ... though, he being gone." or "... him being gone".[/nq]
[nq:1]Sometimes if you re-cast the sentence you not only eliminate the specific problem, but you'll also have a better result. Such as: "Sometimes though, his absence makes me sad." I call that editing, not rewriting.[/nq]
Sorry, I hit the Send button prematurely.
I wanted to add that I do understand that it's a quote you're editing, so you don't want to play fast and loose with what was originally said (or written), but since you're making changes anyway, it's not going to be verbatim no way no how.
But if you must stay with the original sentence structure, my vote would be for "his" being gone.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I wanted to add that I do understand that it's a quote you're editing, so you don't want to play ... no how. But if you must stay with the original sentence structure, my vote would be for "his" being gone.[/nq]
When a substitution is made in a quotation it should be placed in brackets.

"Sometimes it makes me sad though, (he) being gone." "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (him) being gone".

John Varela

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I wanted to add that I do understand that it's ... sentence structure, my vote would be for "his" being gone.[/nq]
[nq:1]"Sometimes it makes me sad though, (he) being gone." "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (him) being gone". When a substitution is made in a quotation it should be placed in brackets.[/nq]
True. But the choice should be the one the person saying the quote should make. Since it's a direct quote, you must speak with their voice, and use the pronoun they'd use, as well as you can determine it. The choices are three:
1) "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (he) being gone."
2) "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (his) being gone".
3) "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (him) being gone".

They're all reasonable choices. (1) is the only kind of construction in which I'd expect to hear "he" as the subject of a gerund, an extraposed subject complement. But it's rather formal, and I don't know whether the speaker was intending to be (or might reasonably have intended to be) that formal. That can vary a lot. (2) means the same thing, but is the written standard, with the subject of the gerund in the possessive. I wouldn't use it unless the original quotation had said "Andy's being gone" instead of "Andy being gone" (and the original isn't in this context, so I can't check and don't remember).
(3) is the other possibility, and lots of people would say that. It means the same thing as (1). Use of one or the other non-genitive form is variable, just like use of a genitive vs non-genitive noun is variable.

Consult your local sociolinguist for frequencies and socioeconomic correlations of these variations. That's why you ought to attempt to speak in their voice if you know or can find out what they'd say, since their voice is enlisted as part of their social and group identification.

Sorry there isn't an official "Correct" answer, but that's the way it is.

-John Lawler - U Michigan Linguistics Dept "Me, ****. The objectionable case of I. The personal pronoun in English has three cases, the dominative, the objectionable and the oppressive. Each is all three." Ambrose Bierce, "The Devil's Dictionary"

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]I need help editing part of a quote, to replace a specific name with "he" or "him". I'm not sure ... though, Andy being gone." to: "Sometimes it makes me sad though, he being gone." or "... him being gone".[/nq]
Perhaps "his" might be better.

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]When a substitution is made in a quotation it should be placed inbrackets. "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (he) being gone." "Sometimes it makes me sad though, (him) being gone".[/nq]
To me such bracketing suggests that the expression is optional, which it here obviously is not.
Of course, a common usage of brackets in quotations is clarification:

"Sometimes it makes me sad though, him (Andy) being gone."

V.N.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]"Sometimes it makes me sad though, (he) being gone." "Sometimes ... made in a quotation it should be placed in brackets.[/nq]
[nq:1]True. But the choice should be the one the person saying the quote should make. Since it's a direct quote, ... of one or the other non-genitive form is variable, just like use of a genitive vs non-genitive noun is variable.[/nq]
I have the feeling that Bob, the original poster, shouldn't do this at all. What harm could it do to use "Andy"? But maybe he has a good reason.
[nq:1]Consult your local sociolinguist for frequencies and socioeconomic correlations of these variations.[/nq]
That suggestion's not serious, is it?
[nq:1]That's why you ought to attempt to speak in their voice if you know or can find out what they'd say, since their voice is enlisted as part of their social and group identification.[/nq]
As an amateur, unqualified, untrained sociolinguist, I'd say "he being gone" is very rare and used only by people who use other conspicuously old-fashioned or genteel expressions. Though conceivably someone who says things like "for she and I" might do it. Unless Andy fits into one of those categories, I'd suggest "him being gone".
[nq:1]Sorry there isn't an official "Correct" answer, but that's the way it is..[/nq]
Jerry Friedman

"he being" or "him being"

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