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Latest post Mon, Nov 17 2008 1:28 PM by Grammar Geek. 4 replies.
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Enchanted  +  588290 Mon, 17 Nov 08 12:16 AM
"she doesn't like me being her superior"

in this sentence, if i say: she doesn't like me to be her superior. is the meaning the same? or changed?

Some one told me that if you use being, meaning you're already her superior, use to be, mean, you'll soon be.

Is his explanation accurate?

Thank you!

Ench
Joined on Thu, Jul 5 2007
Full Member 114
Enchanted
Grammar Geek  +  588326 Mon, 17 Nov 08 03:21 AM

She doesn't like my being her superior. -- It's most correct to say "my" and not "me" but you will certainly hear "me." It means she doesn't like the fact that you are her superior.

She doesn't like me to be her superior. -- This is not a very likely sentence. It sounds like she has various people who are her superior; sometimes it's you and sometimes other people. She doesn't like it when you are her superior.

She doesn't like that I will be her superior. -- She doesn't like the fact that you will soon be her superior.

 

Joined on Tue, Jan 10 2006
Veteran Member 19,508
Barbara, who answers in American English. My housekeeping skills attest to the truth of the second law of thermodynamics: Left to themselves, things get more and more random!
Enchanted, 356 days ago
Cool, Geek.
thanks! very helpful.
Ench
Enchanted  +  588363 Mon, 17 Nov 08 05:59 AM
By the way, Geek:
Can you tell me why "She doesn't like me to be her superior" is not likely a sentence?
Thanks,
Ench
Grammar Geek  +  588472 Mon, 17 Nov 08 01:28 PM

How often is someone a person's supervisor sometimes, but not others? That's what would be required for "She doesn't like me to be her superior" to make sense to me. (She doesn't mind it when Joe or Mary are her superiors, but she doesn't like me to be her superior.)

 

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