subject of gerund ¹ (动名词的逻辑主语)

这两种说法都是正确的。动名词的逻辑主语为代词时,既可以使用属格(his, their等),也可以使用宾格(him, her等)。使用属格(所有格)的传统理由是:动名词具有名词的属性,它的前面按照规则应当使用代词的属格(物主代词)来做它的语法定语。

1. I object to your smoking cigars. 我反对你抽雪茄。

2. Do you mind my asking what happened to your parents? (Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code) 那你介不介意告诉我，你父母怎么啦？(《达·芬奇密码》)

但是,动名词也具有动词的属性,它的后面可以跟直接宾语:He liked our singing folk songs. 因此,使用代词宾格,也是有充分理由的,而且往往使人感到更为自然,尤其是在非正式语体中:

1. I dislike him driving my car. (CGEL) 我不喜欢他开我的汽车。

2. We looked forward to you becoming our neighbour. (CGEL) 我们盼望着你成为我们的邻居。

3. Fancy you having noticed! (LEG) 真想不到你已经注意到了!

4. I'll never forget you falling into the river. (EGS) 我永远不会忘记你掉进河里的事。

这就是说,既可以使用代词属格,也可以使用代词宾格来充当动名词的逻辑主语。因此,人们常常为格的选用而苦恼。例如,I dislike you/your climbing the fence. 不过当充当动名词逻辑主语的代词位于句首时,人们大都愿意使用属格。

1. Your driving a car to New York took longer than I expected. 你开车去纽约所花费的时间比我预料的长一些。

2. My forgetting her name was embarrassing. 我忘了她的名字，使我非常尴尬。

3. Your falling into the river was the climax of the whole trip. 你掉到了河里是整个旅行的

高潮。

当动名词复合结构充当真实主语时，动名词的逻辑主语也大都采用所有格形式。

1. It's a waste of time your talking to him. (Ball) 你跟他谈话,那是浪费时间。

2. But it is very risky your going off in such a hurry. (Voynich) 但是,你这样急急忙忙地走,那是很危险的。

如果动名词是 being, 则在正式英语和非正式英语里都使用所有格, 而不用宾格:

Excuse my being late. (BBC) 原谅我来晚了。

如果在句首使用代词主格来做动名词的逻辑主语，则带有典型的非正式语体色彩。

You falling into the river was the climax of the whole trip. 你掉到了河里去,是整个旅行的高潮。

考生应注意,托福测试专家们仍坚持在正式语体中用代词的属格(所有格)来作动名词的逻辑主语。请看下面的试题:

1. The teacher was justly annoyed by him walking in late and disturbing the class. (TOEFL)

2. With ____ her do this, she will have no difficulty persuading them to accept her plan. A. I help B. my helping C. me helping D. mine helping (TOEFL)

3. I like Jean but I do not like ____.

A. her sing B. her singing C. she sing D. she singing(TOEFL)

4. I certainly appreciate him telling us about the delay in delivering the materials because we had planned to begin work tomorrow. (TOEFL)

5. Because John's parents did not approve of $\$frac{\text{him}}{\text{A}} going on an automobile trip out west, he took a summer job as a lifeguard. (TOEFL)