Grammar confusion.

[RapidSnail]

Vote before looking below.


"During seasons when ticks carrying Lyme disease are most prevalent, signs could be posted to deter hikers about their venturing into tick-infested areas."

• 
  (A) about their venturing
  (B) from their venturing
  (C) from venturing
  (D) by not venturing
  (E) not to venture

From what I remember, the possessive case of a pronoun is used to modify a gerund (substantive verbal), such as in:

"We appreciate your (not you) visiting us today."

However, I'm certain there's something I'm over-looking, but I can't get my mind around it.




My answer: B

Correct answer: C

 

[needalife]

(F) One of above.

 

[FoBoT]

i would have written it ", signs could be posted to deter hikers venturing into tick-infested areas."

i guess i don't know

 

[2Xtreme21]

Well it's obviously C-- I'm just having a tough time formulating why.

Example: "There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies about their ingestion of it?"

OR

"There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies from ingesting it?"

 

[Kelemvor]

I voted C because it's the only one that sounds normal. Their is a possessive word so you don't use it at all. venturing isn't a thing that they own, it's just an action that they are undertaking. This rules out A and B.

And to deter means to NOT do something. D and E say to not do something so it's basically a double negative meaning you want them to venture.

 

[RapidSnail]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Well it's obviously C-- I'm just having a tough time formulating why.

Example: "There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies about their ingestion of it?"

OR

"There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies from ingesting it?"

Ingestion should be ingesting in your top sentence, but I understand your point. However, I'm still not seeing how B could be incorrect in my sentence.

Originally posted by: Kelemvor
I voted C because it's the only one that sounds normal. Their is a possessive word so you don't use it at all. venturing isn't a thing that they own, it's just an action that they are undertaking. This rules out A and B.

And to deter means to NOT do something. D and E say to not do something so it's basically a double negative meaning you want them to venture.

Venturing, in this case, is a verb form being used as a noun, and thus capable of being modified by an adjective relating it back to the "owners" [initiators] of that noun. No?

 

[91TTZ]

It is C.

You're deterring someone FROM doing something, and B is grammatically incorrect.

 

[RapidSnail]

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
It is C.

You're deterring someone FROM doing something, and B is grammatically incorrect.

In other words, because it hasn't happened they can't "own" it?

By the way, did I label the parts of speech correctly, or did I miss something that's causing me confusion?

Brain fart .

 

[imported_LoKe]

They haven't ventured yet, so it's not their venturing. C.

 

[Turin39789]

Originally posted by: RapidSnail

Originally posted by: 91TTZ
It is C.

You're deterring someone FROM doing something, and B is grammatically incorrect.

In other words, because it hasn't happened they can't "own" it?

By the way, did I label the parts of speech correctly, or did I miss something that's causing me confusion?

Brain fart .

I don't think you can ever use a posses a gerund.

 

[RichUK]

C

 

[So]

C is pretty obvious, IMO. Everything esle just sounds horribly awkward.

 

[zinfamous]

what he^ said

 

[RapidSnail]

Originally posted by: Turin39789
I don't think you can ever use a posses a gerund.

Originally posted by: RapidSnail
"We appreciate your (not you) visiting us today."

You can use a possessive on a gerund because a gerund is a substantive, or noun substitute.

In the sample sentence, if "your" is changed to "you," then "you" becomes the direct object; however, "visiting" is supposed to be what "we" appreciates, and thus leaving "your" as "you" would make "visiting us today" a fragment follow-up of the original sentence.

In colloquial speech it doesn't really matter, but technically it's against the rules of English grammar.

 

[imported_Baloo]

Originally posted by: 2Xtreme21
Well it's obviously C-- I'm just having a tough time formulating why.

Example: "There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies about their ingestion of it?"

OR

"There are warning labels posted on medicine bottles to deter babies from ingesting it?"

OK, How many babies are there that could read such warnings? Not a serious question, just thought it funny.

 

[imported_Baloo]

"Their" is clearly implied, and it's use would be redundant. C is correct.

Edit, to put "deter" and "not" in the same sentence would be a double negative, and would not be correct.

 

[Schfifty Five]

studying for the GMAT?

 

[aplefka]

C is the best option. The others are all redundant in either their modification of venturing or modification of hikers.