If the article _the_ occurs before the participle, the preposition _of _must be retained; as, “They strictly observed _the keeping of_ one day in seven.”
When a transitive participle is converted into a noun, _of_ must be inserted to govern the object following. “He was very exact in _forming _his sentences,” “He was very exact in _the formation of_ his sentences.”
The possessive case should not be prefixed to a participle that is not taken in all respects as a noun. It should, therefore, be expunged in the following sentences: “By _our_ offending others, we expose ourselves.” “She rewarded the boy for _his_ studying so diligently.” “He errs in _his_ giving the word a double construction.”
The possessives in such cases as the following should be avoided: “I have some recollection of his _father’s_ being a judge.” “To prevent _its _being a dry detail of terms.” These sentences may be improved by recasting them. “I have some recollection that his father was a judge.” “To prevent it from being a dry detail of terms.”
When the noun or pronoun to which the participle relates is a passive subject, it should not have the possessive form; as, “The daily instances of _men’s _dying around us remind us of the brevity of human life.” “We do not speak of a _monosyllable’s_ having a primary accent.” Change _men’s_ to _men,_ and _monosyllable’s_ to _monosyllable._
Verbs do not govern participles. “I intend _doing_ it,” “I remember _meeting_ Longfellow,” and similar expressions should be changed by the substitution of the infinitive for the participle; as, “I intend _to do it,” _“I remember _to have met_ Longfellow.”
After verbs signifying _to persevere, to desist,_ the participle ending in _ing_ is permitted; as, “So when they _continued asking_ him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them.”
In the use of participles and of verbal nouns, the leading word in sense should always be made the leading word, and not the adjunct, in the construction.
“They did not give notice of the _pupil_ leaving.” Here, the leading idea is _leaving. Pupil_ should, therefore, be subordinate by changing its form to the possessive; as, “They did not give notice of the _pupil’s _leaving.” Better still, “They did not give notice that the pupil had left.”