teacher's being here

Question

What is the difference between these two sentences? Is there a difference in meaning?:  The teacher's being here surprised us.  The teacher being here surprised us.

Dehbaash · Accepted Answer

The teacher's being here surprised us.
The teacher being here surprised us.

The teacher's what being here surprised us?

If you like you can say, "the teacher's dog being here surprised us." or you can say, " the teacher's presence surprised us( without the being)".

Goldmund · Answer

AnonymousWhat is the difference between these two sentences? Is there a difference in meaning?:

The teacher's being here surprised us.
The teacher being here surprised us.

Dear Anonymous,

They are the same. «being» is a verbal noun. «The being here of the teacher surprised us.»

Kind regards,

Goldmund

Miche · Answer

I agree with Goldmund, you can use both.

Anonymous · Answer

Open your book ON? TO? the page 10. Which one is right?

Yulysess · Answer

This thread has been debated several times in this forum, I think;

Usually, when a noun or pronoun precedes a gerund, that noun or pronoun takes a possessive form. This is especially true of formal, academic writing.

There are exceptions to this. (What would the study of language be without exceptions?)

1) When the noun preceding the gerund is modified by other words, use the common form of that noun, not the possessive.

Federico was pleased by Carlos's making the Dean's List for the first time.
but
Federico was pleased by Carlos, his oldest son, making the Dean's List for the first time.

2)

Professor Villa was amazed by her students working as hard as they did.
The class working collaboratively was somebody else's idea.
It was a case of old age getting the better of them.

3)

I was shocked by somebody's making that remark.
This would be greatly improved by saying, instead . . .
I was shocked that somebody would make that remark.

4)

the guy next door

teacher's being here

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