This one can be tricky to get right, because the incorrect version
can sound right to our ears. “I appreciate you filling in for me,
Rebekah.” The problem is that it’s wrong. The trick is to identify
the action.
INCORRECT
• Because of me going to the store today, I will have food for
dinner.
• They always teased John about him reading .
CORRECT
Identify the action: I went to the store, so the going-to-the-store
action was mine , all mine. It was my going to the store that
enabled me to make dinner. The easy fix is “Because I went to the
store today, I will have food for dinner.” John was teased about his
action; it was his reading that caused them to tease him, so he was
teased “about his reading.”
