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I want to know whether the following sentences are possible. Those are sentences using "Gerund".

He doesn't like my/me ordering Latte.

My/me ordering Latte is very important to the owner of that coffee shop.

Tae-Bbong-E
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    They are both acceptable. Genitive "my" and the informal accusative "me" are both pronouns. In your first example, "my" is the subject of the subordinate clause and "me" is the object of "like" in the matrix clause. In your second example, "my" and "me" both function as subject of the subordinate clause. – BillJ Dec 05 '20 at 19:04

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What was implied in the last sentence of Greybeard's answer deserves to be unpacked.

By specifying that ordering is a gerund, the question forces the answer that my is correct, and me incorrect. The me version of the sentence could, however, be regarded as syntactically correct, if ordering is taken as a participle. In other words, 'He doesn't like me ordering latte' could be treated as roughly an equivalent of 'He doesn't like me, when I order latte'. In that version of the sentence the object of not liking is 'me', the person, but only when I engage in that action. That is syntactically different from the gerund version, in which the object of not liking is the action of ordering latte, when performed by me. As the difference between the meanings of the two versions is too subtle to make much practical difference in everyday contexts, it is not unnatural that many people treat them as interchangeable.

jsw29
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I would say:

He doesn't like me ordering Latte.

but

My ordering Latte is very important to the owner of that coffee shop.

'Me ordering' as a subject is definitely incorrect.

However, you could come across such uses as:

Have you ever seen me ordering Latte?

Hope this helps.

fev
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  • 'He doesn't like my ordering Latte' is strictly correct, though 'me' is perfectly acceptable. – Kate Bunting Dec 05 '20 at 17:29
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    @KateBunting I agree, "He doesn't like my " used to be considered the only correct way of saying it and "He doesn't like me " was frowned on but "He doesn't like me ." has become so widespread in normal speech that most people would find "He doesn't like my " quite strange even though, grammatically, it is more correct. – BoldBen Dec 05 '20 at 17:37
  • I understand your point. I am obsessed with ideal language in writing, and I would definitely still frown at "He doesn't like me " in a book or article. In conversations I wouldn't mind it at all. Thank you for your comments. – fev Dec 05 '20 at 17:40
  • Is it not used as a subject in the OP's second example? – fev Dec 05 '20 at 18:59
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    @fev Yes, in the OP's second example, both "my" and "me" can be subject of the subordinate clause. – BillJ Dec 05 '20 at 19:08
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Those are sentences using "Gerund".

A gerund is a substantive.

A substantive may be modified by a determiner.

A substantive may not be modified by a pronoun.

"My" is a determiner.

"Me" is a pronoun.

Had your question been about participles, the answer might have been different.

Greybeard
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    Hmm. Gerunds aren’t substantives (aka nouns) though. That’s why they can take direct objects, which nouns can’t do. – Araucaria - Him Dec 05 '20 at 18:32
  • Also, "my" is not a determiner here but a genitive pronoun.. – BillJ Dec 05 '20 at 19:06
  • @BillJ No. -- One thing that "my" certainly isn't is a pronoun. – Greybeard Dec 05 '20 at 19:11
  • Not so. In both the OP's examples "my" is an NP consisting of a pronoun functioning as subject of the subordinate clauses. A determiner can't function as a subject. Take the oft-quoted example, "His constantly questioning my motives", where "his" is given as an NP (pronoun) subject. Determiners determine NPs not clauses. – BillJ Dec 05 '20 at 19:21
  • Nonfinite clauses like ordering coffee and to order coffee take optional subjects, which are in the accusative case when pronouns. Compare having a noun as their subject in Jane needs Greybeard to order coffee, Jane heard Greybeard order coffee, Jane heard Greybeard ordering coffee with the corresponding pronominal versions: She needs him to order coffee, She heard him order coffee, She heard him ordering coffee. Notice how those demand accusative case him and forbid nominative he or genitive his, which both sound wrong because they are wrong. Nonfinite verbs take ACC subjects. – tchrist Dec 05 '20 at 23:16
  • @tchrist Yes, that is why I added Had your question been about participles, the answer might have been different. – Greybeard Dec 05 '20 at 23:20
  • It doesn't matter whether you’re using these nonfinite clause types as adjuncts or as the core arguments to a verb: they still take accusative case. They don't switch the case of their subject according to the grammatical role of the clause. – tchrist Dec 05 '20 at 23:25