syntax

Question

The word includes the idea of something ... happen shortly.

The verb I want to fit in the sentence is an inflected form of the verb: to be going to.
Help me, please, to find out which rule here applies.
What syntactic function does the verb to be inserted in the sentence have?

My version:
The word includes the idea of something going to happen shortly.

Cool Breeze · Accepted Answer

Going is a gerund. To belongs to the infinitive happen and thus has nothing to do with going. The gerund must be used due to the preposition of. All prepositions normally require a gerund. Something is the subject of the gerund.

The subject of the gerund has been discussed a lot. Many grammarians, probably most of them, prefer a possessive form for the subject when the subject is a personal pronoun. Examples:

He insisted on my going there. (He insisted on me going there is very common in spoken English, though.)
I'll never get accustomed to his smoking cigars.

Just about 30 years ago, people's names were normally not in the possesive form, or genitive:

He insisted on Tom Brown going there.
I'll never get accustomed to Mr Smith smoking cigars.

Some newspapers and magazines, Newsweek for example, are increasingly using the genitive in such cases. I assume this is because the editors and reporters feel their English is somehow inferior if they don't use the genitive. So these days one sees sentences like the following very often:

He insisted on Tom Brown's going there.
I'll never get accustomed to Mr Smith's smoking cigars. (In U.S. English there is usually a period (or a full stop) after Mr.)

Those who favour the possessive form should say: The word includes the idea of something's going to happen shortly.
I don't think they do. At least not yet. Maybe in another 30 years...

Cheers
CB

Inchoateknowledge · Answer

The word includes the idea of something's going to happen shortly. Is it not double genitive?
(of and 's)
Thanks.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Something's = something is, a contraction, not a possessive use. Something IS going to happen shortly.

is going to = future

I am going to go to the store tomorrow.

You are going to be sick after eating all that candy.

Something is going to happen (just what, I don't know) .

Cool Breeze · Answer

InchoateknowledgeThe word includes the idea of something's going to happen shortly. Is it not double genitive?
(of and 's)
Thanks.

I wrote the sentence in fun. It is not correct English. Here is an example of a double genitive:
He is a friend of Mary's. (= He is one of Mary's friends.)
You can't normally have it with the.

Cheers
CB

Cool Breeze · Answer

Grammar GeekSomething's = something is, a contraction, not a possessive use. Something IS going to happen shortly.

is going to = future

I am going to go to the store tomorrow.

You are going to be sick after eating all that candy.

Something is going to happen (just what, I don't know) .

Hi GG

Oh dear, I learned what you wrote about to be going to do when I was 13 years old. I know something's is a contraction. Read my post again, please. Pay attention to the logic of the subject of the gerund in it. How would you put something in the s-genitive? (Of course it isn't done, but the logic of those who insist on a possessive form as the subject of a gerund would require it.)

Cheers
CB

BarbaraPA · Answer

Uh, how about this.

My brother said he's mailed me something. He wouldn't say what, just that it was something I would really like. I'm sure looking forward to this something's arriving in the mail today.

It's pretty awkward. I'd say arrival and not the gerund arriving.

Or...

There's something in the attic. It seems to feel free to come in and go out the attic vent at will. This something's frequent coming and going will make it hard to trap.

That's probably as close as I can come to a natural-sounding sentence using a 's genitive and a gerund.

Cool Breeze · Answer

"There's something in the attic. It seems to feel free to come in and go out the attic vent at will. This something's frequent coming and going will make it hard to trap.

That's probably as close as I can come to a natural-sounding sentence using a 's genitive and a gerund."
Bravo! I wouldn't have been able to come up with such an example, I think, but I often have trouble coming up with anything in a foreign language.

Cheers
CB

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