Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[O-lala]

Dear teachers,

Below question is to combine two sentences into one.

1. Mary is honest.
2. I am sure.
--> I am sure of ____________________.

and the answer is: I am sure of (Mary's being honest.)

I don't understand why using "Mary's being" here, is there any grammar rule that can explain this sentence?

Besides, if I answered <I am sure of Mary's honesty> would this be correct, too?

THANKS A LOT!

[redset]

I'd say that "I am sure of Mary's honesty" and "I am sure that Mary is being honest" are better answers than the one given. The trouble with their answer is that "Mary's" could either be possessive, or a contraction of "Mary is (being honest)". The latter would be incorrect when used with sure of, which might be what's confusing you. You can use a possessive with a (continuous) verb phrase to create a noun which describes an act or state, like this:

"Her studying really helped her to pass the exam."
"The dog's barking kept them up all night."
"His feeling sick spoiled the whole vacation."

So "Mary's being honest" is a verb phrase describing Mary's act of being honest in this situation (it could also be a state, maybe she's just naturally an honest person) - the person is saying that they're sure of this act/state, that it is true or that it is the case. It's an awkward sentence though, very formal - most people would use something like the two sentences I mentioned at the beginning of this post.

[2006]

The best way to combine the two sentences is to say I am sure (that) Mary is honest.

"Mary is honest" and "Mary is being honest" are not the same. Why was "being" added?

If the goal is to teach the use of "of", I am sure of Mary's honesty is better.

[O-lala]

Thank you very much for both of your help!

I would combine these two sentences by saying "I am sure that Mary is honest" as well. However, when I saw the answer is restricted to follow by "I am sure of", I put it I am sure of Mary's honesty , and the answer key says I am sure of Mary's being honest.

I know sometimes the answer of the question could be more than one, and I just want to make sure my answer is also correct. Thank you for both of you very much!

lala

[CP]

The reason that the answer key has "Mary's being honest" is that "being" is a gerund, a noun made out of a verb. The use of a possessive with a gerund is very common: the president's lying; the philanthropists' giving; my making of examples.

So you can say, "I am sure of Mary's honesty" or "I am sure of Mary's being honest."
_________________
You live a new life for every new language you speak. -Czech proverb

[O-lala]

Dear CP,

You gave it a very clear grammar explanation. Thank you!
I will share your input with my classmates.