please parse this sentence

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Anonymous  #479360  Wed, 20 Feb 08 03:39 PM


I got used to your being here.

1.  How would this sentence be parsed?

2.  Is 'used to' a prepositional verb?

3.  How does 'here', which is an adverb, modify 'being', which is a gerund (noun)?

4.  What if 'your' was replaced with 'you', would the obect of 'to' be a fused participle of you and being?

Thank you in advance,

Donna

  
Mister Micawber  #479601  Thu, 21 Feb 08 03:59 AM
 .

1.-- I would guess that there are several ways to approach this; here's mine: 

I - Subject

got - verb

used - predicate adjective

to - preposition

your - possessive adjective

being - gerund (object of preposition)

here - noun complement

 

2.  Is 'used to' a prepositional verb?-- No, it is an adjectival structure; get is an informal copular verb.

3.  How does 'here', which is an adverb, modify 'being', which is a gerund (noun)?-- Gerunds keep some of their verbal characteristics, including supporting objects or complements:  Being a man is always difficult; Eating too many hamburgers may kill you.

4.  What if 'your' was replaced with 'you', would the object of 'to' be a fused participle of you and being?-- You replaces your in casual English.  I suppose that then you would be the object of the preposition and being here would be an object complement. This structure (without the possessive) is indeed sometimes called a fused participle.

 

  
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Anonymous  #493311  Wed, 26 Mar 08 08:12 PM

I  got used to your being here = to your being here , I got used.

                                                        S

                                          NP                     VP

                                           N                   Aux    V        pp                     Adv

                                           Pro                 got      used   to your being   here

                                              I

                            

  
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