Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: my having been
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question focuses on choosing the most grammatically correct and stylistically refined form of a gerund phrase after a preposition. The sentence speaks about the good fortune of having been someone disciple in youth and how that experience has benefited the speaker career. You must decide which option best expresses this idea while respecting standard English grammar.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
When a gerund phrase refers to an action completed in the past relative to the time of the main verb, English often uses the perfect gerund, formed with having plus past participle. Here, the speaker is talking about the fact that in the past he or she was a disciple, and that completed past relationship has led to later benefits. The phrase the good fortune of my having been your disciple captures this meaning neatly and formally. It is also standard to use a possessive determiner like my before a gerund or gerund phrase in formal writing.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
Consider similar structures: The memory of my having worked there helps me now or The impact of her having studied abroad is visible in her outlook. In these sentences, the perfect gerund expresses a prior completed action that still has effects. Replacing my having been with my being would weaken the sense of prior completion and sound less polished. Additionally, style guides often recommend using the possessive form my before gerunds when the person is the agent of the gerund action.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Myself being is wrong because myself is a reflexive pronoun typically used for emphasis or when the subject and object are the same in a clause, not as a determiner before a gerund.
Being alone is wrong because it loses the possessive my and the perfect aspect, making the phrase less specific and grammatically weaker.
No improvement is wrong because the original my being, while understandable, does not express the past completed nature of the disciple relationship as clearly as my having been, and formal grammar favours the perfect gerund here.
Common Pitfalls:
Many learners are uncomfortable with the repetition of having been and avoid it, even though it is standard in formal English. Another common mistake is to drop the possessive pronoun before a gerund, but in phrases like my having been your disciple, the possessive shows clearly who performed the action. In competitive exams, the more precise and formally correct structure is usually expected.
Final Answer:
The bracketed phrase should be replaced with my having been, giving The good fortune of my having been your disciple in my youth has greatly benefited me in my career.
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