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Which sentence is more grammatically correct:

Jack’s predilection toward competitive sports resulted in him becoming a great tennis player.

or

Jack's predilection toward competitive sports resulted in his becoming a great tennis player.

Jason Chen
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1 Answers1

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I vote for his, because becoming is a gerund and hence a noun. And we wouldn't say 'That is him house', would we.

WS2
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    On the other hand, the result we are talking about is "He became a great tennis player" If I showed you a picture of him practicing as he was honing his skills, I might say, "This is him becoming a great tennis player." – Jim Nov 07 '14 at 01:27
  • @Jim Quite so. Because in that example 'becoming' is not a gerund but a present participle forming part of an adjectival clause. – WS2 Nov 07 '14 at 01:35
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    I think both are correct, and they are different in terms of what they emphasize. The first sentence puts the stress on 'him', and the second one on 'becoming'. For this concrete example the difference is not quite visible, but consider these: I remember him becoming a great tennis player and I remember his becoming a great player. The first version tells about the author remembering how good he was during that period, and the second - about the efforts he spent to become a great player. So to me, they are both correct. – Arsen Y.M. Nov 07 '14 at 01:37
  • @ArsenY.M. You may be right. But my response to Jim's comment stands. – WS2 Nov 07 '14 at 01:46
  • @Jim There is an excellent answer under choster's link above to a former OP, confirming why, in your example, it has to be him (accusative), rather than 'his' (genetive). – WS2 Nov 07 '14 at 01:54
  • @ArsenY.M. yes you are right. see the link by choster above to a former discussion, and the excellent answer from the formidable nohat. – WS2 Nov 07 '14 at 01:56