0
Anonymous Posted 11 years ago
Vocabulary

Them vs their

(i) The problem is them not being able to stay together.

(ii) The problem is their not being able to stay together.

Which of the above sentences is correct?
  

Top answer

The second is correct though I'm sure you'll hear the first as well.

— Ivanhr

  • The second is correct though I'm sure you'll hear the first as well.
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

17 Answers
0
The second is correct though I'm sure you'll hear the first as well.
0
0
I agree. The problem is theirs. They possess it. They are not personally the problem.
e.g.: "We can't support both Mary and Bob, our representatives, on such a voyage. Their not being able to stay together is the problem." "The problem is their not..."
0
0
wilpeterI agree. The problem is theirs. They possess it. They are not personally the problem.
One could argue that they are they problem, they and the fact that they can't stay together. They don't possess the problem; if it's 'possessed' at all, it's our problem.
0
0
fivejedjonOne could argue that they are they problem, they and the fact that they can't stay together. They don't possess the problem; if it's 'possessed' at all, it's our problem.
Yes, my example wasn't exclusive. If they are married to one another, it's their problem. If we are sending a male and a female unmarried representative, we are perhaps to blame--
0
0
fivejedjonOne could argue that they are they problem, they and the fact that they can't stay together. They don't possess the problem; if it's 'possessed' at all, it's our problem.
Thanks for the reply which prompts me to take a view that indeed both pronouns may be used. I think that it depends on the complement following the linking verb and how we interpret
0
0
I consider both correct. I’d probably use (i) because it sounds more natural to me.
0
0
Aspara GusI consider both correct. I’d probably use (i) because it sounds more natural to me.
I am generally in the (ii) camp, but I have no problem with (i), and I would find the possessive unnatural in a sentence such as "I have no problem with people's disliking this construction".

Fowler and Jespersen had a famous discussion about this in
0
0
fivejedjonI would find the possessive unnatural in a sentence such as "I have no problem with people's disliking this construction".
I agree with you there. In that example, I would use "I have no problem with people's dislike of this construction".
fivejedjonI suppose they are fortunate in not having more serious things to worry about
0
0
wilpeter I would use "I have no problem with people's dislike of this construction".
What do you think about "I have no problem with people disliking this construction"?
0
0
I have no problem with it. We've sorta strayed from the original problem though.
0

Related Questions