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"You" vs. "your"
Main Post:
I've always said, "I appreciate your taking the time to help me." But....
It's fairly common for people to say (or write), "I appreciate you taking the time to help me."
"Your" feels right to me, but I'm not sure why. What part of speech is "your" (or "you") in this context?
Is there a rule governing which word to use?
Thanks!
Top Comment: Both "you" and "your" are correct and standard. Using the possessive form ("your") is what older and more conservative style guides tend to call for while using "you" is far more popular in speaking (especially) and writing today. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage has a long entry on this topic. I'll just quote from the summary: Let's recapitulate. This construction, both with and without the possessive, has been used in writing for about 300 years. Both forms have been used by standard authors. Both forms have been called incorrect, but neither is.
Your and Your or You and Your?
Main Post:
To settle an argument,
Which version of the sentence is grammatically correct?
- "I don't need you or your friend's affections"
- "I don't need your or your friend's affections"
In the context of saying this sentence to one person, where the friend is also one person and not multiple friends.
I understand this, is most likely a case of not being able to correctly pinpoint one, as both may be correct, as seen in the posts linked in the FAQ. If this is the case, which sentence is most correct, especially from the POV of a native speaker of English.
Top Comment: Technically, they mean different things. "I don't need your friend's affections or you." "I don't need your friend's affections or your affections". But colloquially, "(you or your friend)" can be treated as sort of a single "token", so it's ambiguous in constructions like "I don't need the affections of you or your friend", which can mean "I don't need your affections or your friend".