Verb + Subject + present participle or Verb + possessive + present participle?
I and my friend were discussing about which of the followings being correct.
"I can't imagine you using a dictionary"
"I can't imagine your using a dictionary"
I think that the latter is correct. My argument is that I consider "using" a gerund, and treat the whole gerund phrase as a noun.
What do you think about this case? Any comment would be greatly appriciated. Thank you.
Solution 1:
They are both correct.
- I can't imagine you using a dictionary
This means that I cannot imagine you in a scenario where you are using a dictionary.
- I can't imagine your using a dictionary
This means I can't imagine the use of a dictionary when it is being done by you.