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   Dallas Hinton - All:   
      
   > Here's one for the non-native English Speakers:   
   >   
   > Discuss the difference between "Its getting colder" and "Its   
   > getting cooler". For bonus marks, discuss the difference between   
   > "Its getting..." and "It's getting...."   
      
   I noticed the confused participle without the hint. You ought to   
   have reserved it as a surprise for the first responder who missed   
   the misssing apostrophe:   
      
   -- Mrs. Stickler, Can I open the window?   
   -- You certainly can, but you may not :-)   
      
   That evening, we talked mostly about the weather. --   
   a. Its getting colder alarmed me.   
   b. Its getting cooler had loosed our tongues.   
      
   Its ceasing to rain prompted our closing our umbrellas.   
      
   In "The Grammar of Englisn Grammars", Goold Brown crushes this   
   construction into grey dust:   
      
   > The sentence is this: "Much will depend on your pupil's   
   > composing, but more on his reading frequently."—Philos. of Rhet.,   
   > p. 235. Volumes innumerable have gone abroad, into our schools   
   > and elsewhere, which pronounce this sentence to be "correct and   
   > proper." But after all, what does it mean? But after all, what   
   > does it mean? Does the adverb "frequently" qualify the verb "will   
   > depend" expressed in the sentence? or "will depend" understood   
   > after more? or both? or neither? Or does this adverb qualify the   
   > action of "reading?" or the action of "composing?" or both? or   
   > neither? But "composing" and "reading", if they are mere nouns,   
   > cannot properly be qualified by any adverb; and, if they are   
   > called participles, the question recurs respecting the   
   > possessives. Besides, "composing", as a participle, is commonly   
   > transitive; nor is it very fit for a noun, without some adjunct.   
   > And, when participles become nouns, their government (it is said)   
   > falls upon "of", and their adverbs are usually converted into   
   > adjectives; as, "Much will depend on your pupil's composing of   
   > themes; but more, on his frequent reading." This may not be the   
   > author's meaning, for the example was originally composed as a   
   > mere mock sentence, or by way of "experiment;" and one may doubt   
   > whether its meaning was ever at all thought of by the   
   > philosopher. But, to make it a respectable example, some   
   > correction there must be; for, surely, no man can have any clear   
   > idea to communicate, which he cannot better express, than by   
   > imitating this loose phraseology. It is scarcely more correct,   
   > than to say, "Much will depend on an author's using, but more on   
   > his learning frequently." [continued!]   
      
   Whereas Fowler is content  merely to require the possessive pronoun,   
   e.g. pardon my/me introding upon you so.   
      
   ---    
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