Confused by Fused Participles? How to Use Pronouns and -ing Words Properly (and 2 Ways to Think About English)

Fused participles come up when you combine a pronoun (him or his, for example) with a gerund (an -ing word, also known as a participle). English speakers and writers use two different pronouns with gerunds.

In formal English, Option A is considered incorrect, and this “mistake” is called a fused participle. So here’s the rule to follow in formal English:

• Stated positively: Use a possessive pronoun with a gerund; do not use an object pronoun. For example, I was surprised by his running for office is written correctly. This rule holds even if you use a regular noun instead of a pronoun, such as I was surprised by Bob’s running for office or I was surprised by the man’s running for office.
  
  
• Stated negatively: Avoid ambiguities that may arise by fusing your participle (in this case, your gerund, or -ing word) to your pronoun (him) without a clear grammatical relationship between them. In the example I was surprised by him running for office, the object pronoun creates confusion about the function of running. Avoid using regular nouns (without a possessive ’s) before -ing words, too. For example, I was surprised by the man running for office has two interpretations (see below).

People often ignore this rule when speaking, but strong writers rarely break it in formal writing. It’s a marker of status to get it right, so here’s your mini-guide.

2 Elements of the “No Fused Participle” Rule

Two elements must be present for this rule to apply:

1. An object, typically in pronoun form, who/which is performing an action
2. A verb ending in -ing, which is serving as a noun

Writers often err in the first step: They choose the wrong pronoun for the sentence construction. Without the correct pronoun, the reader can’t tell whether the -ing word is serving as a gerund (a noun) or a participle (a present progressive verb).

Background Grammar Rules

For this explanation to make sense, we need some grammar lessons:

Understanding Gerunds

Gerunds are nouns that were formed from verbs. They take the -ing suffix but are not doing the same job as a verb in the present progressive tense. Consider the different parts of speech of the word swimming in these two sentences:

In simple sentences, gerunds are straightforward, and English speakers make few mistakes when using them. But it gets confusing in complex sentences, when it’s harder to tell whether the -ing word is serving as a gerund or a participle.

Understanding Participles

Participles are conjugated forms of a main verb. Linguists will describe participles as inflected; English teachers and editors would describe the participle as a modifier. The two groups will not agree here. Participles can end in -s, -ing, -ed, or -en. Gerunds and present progressive participles are both formed from verbs and can both end in -ing. Since neither -ing word is functioning as the head verb in the sentence, it’s easy to go wrong. Consider the different parts of speech of the word standing in these four sentences:

The final sentence is an example of a fused participle, which means that the -ing word is attached to the noun but that we can’t easily determine its function.

The Ambiguity Created by Fused Participles

If you write sentences with fused participles (even if the word before the gerund is not a pronoun), readers can understand the sentence in ways that you did not intend.

How English Developed Two Ways to Say the Same Thing

This issue of fused participles has come about in English for two reasons. One is because speakers combine the pronoun with the word before it, not the word after it. Another reason is because people interpret ambiguous sentences differently.

Pronoun Confusion

A pronoun is a short, generic word that replaces a noun once you’ve already used the noun. When two -ing words can play different roles, readers rely heavily on pronoun choices to help them understand the sentence. If the reader thinks the -ing word is a noun, then the focus is on the object. But if the reader thinks it’s a participle, then the focus is on the activity. Let’s see how the confusion could play out:

In formal English, the sentences in Column B are correct because they contain possessive pronouns. However, most English speakers do not consider Column A ungrammatical, even though the sentences use object pronouns. In fact, even those who say they do consider the object pronoun incorrect tend to use it in speech.

The sentences in Column B are more grammatically acceptable because, in these sentences, running and standing are gerunds. Since gerunds are nouns, and nouns can take possessive adjectives (his) as complements (his dog, his house), this is the correct construction. Nouns cannot take direct object pronouns as complements (*him dog, *him house).

The sentences in Column A may not sound bad because the object pronoun (him/her) seems like the logical object of the preposition by. You can’t say *I was surprised by his, so English speakers make the pronoun “agree” with the preposition before it—but this logic does not hold up in formal prescriptive English. I was surprised by him running for office sounds acceptable because I was surprised by him sounds acceptable.

But the formal grammar exists because the main word after by (its main object) is running, not the person. Running is the main word (head) of the noun phrase his running for office. The whole noun phrase is the object of the preposition by. The pronoun that is replacing the person is not the object of the preposition by (even if it is the next word) and even if by his doesn’t work on its own.

More Ambiguities

An important case of ambiguity (and a cause of these competing constructions) is that of the word her in sentences with gerunds.

Example:

I was impressed by her swimming.

Because her is inherently ambiguous here, we can’t tell how the speaker feels. Her is both an object pronoun and a possessive pronoun. It’s up to the listener to decide the meaning. If listeners understand her as an object pronoun (Interpretation 1), they’ll use other object pronouns in this construction when they speak. But if listeners understand her as a possessive pronoun (Interpretation 2), they’ll use other possessive pronouns in this construction when they speak.

How WordRake Edits Fused Participles

WordRake will spot object pronouns with fused participles and convert them to possessive pronouns so that the -ing word can properly act as a gerund. In formal fields like law and business, following this prescriptive rule might improve your credibility with your readers. Here are some examples of WordRake’s edits:

At the airport, I was worried that security would have a problem with me my lugging 20 pounds of wire onto the plane, but there were no problems.

Lincoln’s father’s emotionally driven sermons resulted in him his being known as the man with the amazing voice.

Your case will go before the informal Board without you your being present.

Their cooperation depends on them their understanding what the program is all about, why it is important to them, and how it affects their work.

These patches of dry skin were spreading with no sign of it its going away.

Resistance mutations appear spontaneously and independently, so the chances of them their harboring a bacterium that is spontaneously resistant to both ABC and DEF is less than 1%.

Three of those dispositions will result in you your receiving compensation from the government.

Conclusion

While some readers won’t notice a mistake if you use the direct object pronoun, many will. Professional readers will notice the elegance of the possessive adjective in these sentences. Most importantly, your business clients and colleagues are highly likely to notice (and care) because they’re looking for cues in your writing to confirm your professional credibility. Let WordRake help you strengthen your professional communication—from documents to emails. Try it for free for 7 days.

About the Authors

Danielle Cosimo is a Language Usage Analyst for WordRake. Before joining the team, she was a translator and editor for non-native English speakers applying to degree programs in the United States and the UK. Danielle is formally trained in linguistics and has a certificate in computer programming. She is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. She applies her interdisciplinary knowledge to create WordRake’s editing algorithms.

Ivy B. Grey is the Chief Strategy & Growth Officer for WordRake. Before joining the team, she practiced bankruptcy law for ten years. In 2020, Ivy was recognized as an Influential Woman in Legal Tech by ILTA. She has also been recognized as a Fastcase 50 Honoree and included in the Women of Legal Tech list by the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center. Follow Ivy on Twitter @IvyBGrey or connect with her on LinkedIn.