Using the possessive before a gerund

We often put a noun or pronoun in front of a gerund to show who or what is doing the
action in the gerund. This noun or pronoun is called the subject of the gerund. In formal
writing, the subject of the gerund should be in the possessive form:

 Your leaving early was a wise decision.

 We celebrated Gord’s winning the contest.
 Natalie objected to my borrowing her hockey stick.

Note: In informal writing, there is a trend toward dropping the possessive before a
gerund. We often use a simple noun or an object pronoun instead:

 We celebrated Gord winning the contest.

 Natalie objected to me borrowing her hockey stick.

However, in formal writing, the use of the possessive form before a gerund is still
preferred. Also, the possessive form may be important for clarity. Consider the
difference between the two examples below:

 Jorge is in favour of the candidate being interviewed Friday. [Jorge likes the
candidate who has an interview on Friday]
 Jorge is in favour of the candidate’s being interviewed Friday. [Jorge wants the
interview to be on Friday]