Transcript of “We Appreciate Your Asking”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi.
Hi, who’s this?
This is Denise Hickey.
Hi, Denise, where are you calling from?
I’m calling from La Jolla, California.
Well, welcome. What can we do for you?
So, my question has to do with the proper usage of the possessive, you’re, versus the contraction, you’re, in a certain type of phrase.
For example, Martha and Grant, I appreciate your helping me with my question.
I think you’re, in that case, should be the contraction, Y-O-U, apostrophe, R-E, as in Martha and Grant, I appreciate that you’re helping me with my question, versus Martha and Grant, I appreciate your willingness to help me with my question, which I think is properly the possessive Y-O-U-R.
And I noticed it when I would be typing an email.
When I say it, I don’t think about it.
But in trying to type an email to somebody, I suddenly went, well, which one is it? Is it your contraction or your possessive?
Yes, and you’ve keyed in on it because what you’re doing is a very clever thing.
What you’re doing sounds right to somebody who uses Y-O-U-R, the possessive, right?
Right.
I appreciate your calling today.
That’s pretty tricky because if I were listening to you, I would think she’s saying it in the preferred way.
But if I read it, I wouldn’t think that.
So which is the preferred way?
It would be Y-O-U-R, the possessive, your calling today.
That’s right.
Because your helping with that question, helping is a…
It functions as a noun.
It’s a participle that functions as a noun, which we call a gerund.
The thing about those words that end in I-N-G is they can either function as an adjective, like my driving record is clean.
Driving functions as an adjective there.
What kind of record is it? Driving record.
But you would say, how’s my driving?
And in that case, it’s a noun.
That’s interesting that you, I’ve never heard anybody do that.
Well, I’ve had this question a few times, and I can see the argument in favor of Y-O-U apostrophe R-E, or you, I appreciate you are helping me, or that you are helping me.
But to me, it’s not the better choice.
The better choice is, I appreciate you’re helping me.
The possessor.
You’re helping. The helping belongs to you. It is a thing that belongs to you.
Right.
It is definitely the better choice there.
Interesting.
So as long as we’re just listening to you, it sounds great.
Right. Exactly.
Usually I just change my phrase when I’m typing it so that I don’t have to make the choice.
Yeah, that’s always the way, right? If you’re not sure, rewrite so you don’t have the dilemma.
Exactly.
Well, does that make sense then, Denise?
It does, sort of, yes. I guess so. I guess when I think about it, though, as the I appreciate that you are, then it also makes sense with the contraction.
Yeah, I can see how it makes sense logically.
Yes.
But there are going to be people who read your with the contraction and are going to think, oh, she doesn’t know how to do it.
And that’s the worst.
Exactly.
Yeah.
Super. Well, I really appreciate it. Now I won’t have the dilemma.
Thanks for calling, Denise.
All right. We appreciate your calling.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.
