Standard English ConventionsHardPossessive before a gerund
Standard English Conventions practice question
The coach objected to ____ leaving practice early to attend the concert.
Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?
- A. the players'Correct
- B. the players
- C. the player's
- D. the players are
Answer: A. the players'
What the coach objected to was the LEAVING, and 'leaving' here is a gerund — a verb acting as a noun. The noun before a gerund takes the possessive: 'the players' leaving'.
Why the other answers are wrong
- B. the players
- Without the possessive, the sentence says the coach objected to the players themselves, not to their leaving.
- C. the player's
- 'the player's' is singular, but the sentence refers to several players.
- D. the players are
- 'the players are leaving' turns the phrase into a clause, which can't follow 'objected to' directly.
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