Do You Make This Mistake in English?

I certainly do!

Here’s the scenario: Which sentence is correct?

1. I appreciate you taking the time.

2. I appreciate your timing the time.

#2 is correct, even if many well-educated people say #1.

The issue is what H.W. Fowler called the “fused participle,” which means a participle that is (1) used as a noun (i.e., a gerund), and (2) preceded by a noun or pronoun not in the possessive case.

Here are two more examples:

1. Shareholders worried about the company reorganizing.

2. Shareholders worried about the company’s reorganizing.

Again: #2 is correct.

1. Me going home made her sad.

2. My going home made her sad.

Yet again, only #2 is correct.

Related: “Gerunds Take the Possessive”

Addendum (7/6/2024): Here’s a similarly sticky sentence:

1. I’d ask her to call me (rather than me calling her again).

2. I’d ask her to call me (rather than my calling her again).

Which is correct? #2.