His status is attested by his becoming an alderman.
Can you please explain the meaning of this sentence? Specially in this part: "his becoming an alderman"
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KillingTime
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Lalith J.
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2Have you looked up “become” in a dictionary? I’m sure there’s a definition that fits. – Jim Jan 02 '20 at 09:55
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@Jim , Yes I have and found that it act as an adjective and a noun but still not clear regarding this sentence. Reference: https://www.dictionary.com/browse/becoming – Lalith J. Jan 02 '20 at 10:02
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(copula) to come to be; develop or grow into; he became a monster In your case he became alderman. He wasn’t one, and then he became one. – Jim Jan 02 '20 at 10:15
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3Does this answer your question? When is a gerund supposed to be preceded by a possessive adjective/determiner? 'his becoming an alderman' is an example of the POSS-ing construction, where an ing-form (CGEL gerund-participial) is preceded by a possessive pronoun (etc). So 'his becoming an alderman' (cf 'his success') rather than 'him becoming an alderman' (the ACC-ing counterpart). – Edwin Ashworth Jan 02 '20 at 11:46
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You could also take a look here: https://english.stackexchange.com/q/347621/195517 – Apollonian Jan 02 '20 at 12:06
1 Answers
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He is becoming an alderman.
He wasn't an alderman but he is undergoing a process to become it, in a while he will be an alderman.
KillingTime
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2That would be "He's becoming an alderman". The OP's sentence means "The fact that he became an alderman shows that he is/was of high status". – Kate Bunting Jan 02 '20 at 12:39