At 10:44 PM 12/12/2008, John Curran wrote:
>The boy was very happy that his mother did not see him being such a pig.
. . .

DD: The analysis went off into what sort of clause followed, 
"that."  Arrgh. Shouldn't some attention have been placed on the use 
of "him" instead of "his?" If the emphasis is on whom the mother saw, 
then I will allow "him," but insist on a comma after. If the emphasis 
is on what the mother saw, I suggest it was the action following a 
possessive, "his."  It is awkward in the first case, as that comma 
might be interpreted to his mother's being the pig. Still, I think 
that if you allow less than high standard English to prevail, the 
possessive and the gerund connection is ignored.

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