Want sb +ing

Question

I don't want you coming home so late.Does the present participle mean that S/He keeps coming home late repeatedly?Thank you so much.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Yes, it suggests that.

The habit could be a current one, or the meaning could be 'I don't wany you to start developing this habit in the future'.

The context will normally make the intended meaning clear.

Clive

AlpheccaStars · Answer

I don't read it that way.
I think that it is the adverb "so late" that indicates the objectionable activity.

For example, suppose "I" is the mother and "you" is her young daughter.

The daughter comes home after midnight (one time). The mother says, "I don't want you coming home so late. Your curfew is 10:00 p.m."

Anonymous · Answer

AlpheccaStarsThe daughter comes home after midnight (one time). The mother says, "I don't want you coming home so late. Your curfew is 10:00 p.m."

Does it mean that the duration of lateness is the reason why coming is used rather than come?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Coming is used because it is used as a noun - the object of the verb want. (When the present participle is used as a noun, it is called a gerund.) It has nothing to do with the adverb "so late." Other adjectives or adverbs are possible, for example:

I don't want you coming home drunk.
I don't want you coming home without your school books.
I don't want you coming home so noisily.

An infinitive could also be used as the object:

I don't want you to come home late.

Regards,
A-

s

Dimsumexpress · Answer

AlpheccaStarsComing is used because it is used as a noun - the object of the verb want. (When the present participle is used as a noun, it is called a gerund.) It has nothing to do with the adverb "so late." Other adjectives or adverbs are possible, for example

Hi A-

s,
Pardon my question. Is there any possibility "coming" is a present participle? For some reason, that's how it appears to me.

Thanks,

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hi Dimsum;

Coming is the present participle of the verb come. But you have to look at its function in a sentence to determine if it is used as a noun (gerund) or adjective.

In this case it's "coming home late" that is the unwanted behavior.

I do want you, but I don't want your behavior.

Kl004535 · Answer

Unless I am mistaken about it, for this sentence to be more formal, I can change the object pronoun to its matching possessive pronoun in this sentence.

Just like: I don't want your coming home so late.

Do you accept the change? Thank you.

Dimsumexpress · Answer

AlpheccaStarsHi Dimsum;Coming is the present participle of the verb come. But you have to look at its function in a sentence to determine if it is used as a noun (gerund) or adjective.In this case it's "coming home late" that is the unwanted behavior.

Thanks Astars for your reply. I could be wrong but I interprete it this way. "I don't want you" -You is already a noun, "coming home late" is the adverbial phrase modifying " you ". " Coming " to me is a present participle making up the non-finite clause "coming home late". That said, many "ing" verb used in this type of context can be interpreted differently. I think depending on the construction, the same phrase may be function differently. Consider this: Coming home late and tired last night, I didn't take a show and went right to bed. "Coming home late...." is an adverbial phrase.
However, coming home past midnight means curfew. In this construction, "coming home ..." I agree is a noun phrase.

In any case, appreciate your comments.

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Hi

"You" should actually be "your," but using the posessive pronoun is not colloquial any more.

Consider:
I don't approve of your coming home late. - In this case, the gerund stands out without ambiguity.

Consider:
I don't want you -- coming home drunk and late all the time! Get out of here! I don't want to see your face ever again.

Here, the punctuation (long dash), indicating a distinctive break in the sentence, would indicate that you is the direct object, and "coming home" is one of your attributes that has caused the final straw. But, to me, this is quite a stretch of interpretation.

dimsumexpressComing home late and tired last night, I didn't take a show and went right to bed. "Coming home late.." is an adverbial phrase.

I learned this type of construction to be an adjective phrase, modifying the subject, I.
It is adjectival because, unlike an adverb, it cannot be moved without changing the meaning! This is the common error of the misplaced modifier:

I didn't take a show and went right to my bed coming home late and tired last night.

Regards,
A-

s

Dimsumexpress · Answer

Thanks Astar for sharing your view. But allow me to correct an earlier error. It should be "shower", not a "show". The neurons in my head sometimes misfired when I tried to type.

If my observation is correct, there are people who have diffiernt interpretations on the same thing.
I was taught that when a phrase describes information of 'how' and 'where', it is functioning adverbially.
Adjectival or adjective, or even non-finite clause, is merely a label and interpretation. I think if we are not trying to be a linguist, as long as one can write fluently, that's all it matters.

As far as using and taking a possesive approach toward the original sentence, as in " I don't want your coming home late..." I personally feel it's clumsy and unidiomatic, not that it is wrong grammatically.

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