Hello, first and foremost, happy 2021 ; I have two question marks that go as follows: It was him. Or It was he. It was him who killed Mary. Or It was he who killed Mary. I will be appreciative of your kind clarification.
@JeanietheEnglishTeacher
3 жыл бұрын
Happy New Year to you too, Domy! You should say, "I have two questions: " and then state the questions. Question marks are the punctuation marks: "?" On to the questions: This is something that grammar teachers disagree on. Some grammar teachers would say that "It was he" is correct, because the linking verb "was" puts "he" in the nominative position. However, I strongly believe that this issue is one in which English has changed over many centuries, and it actually sounds strange today to use the nominative. I believe that it is not just okay but actually correct to use the object position (It's me, That was her) in short forms like that. People today simply do not say "It's she," at least not in the U.S. BUT -- if it is a dependent clause in a larger sentence, such as "It was he who killed Mary," it's a little fuzzier. Again, some grammar teachers would very strongly say that it must be 'he,' but I think either one is okay. Grammar can instruct how one person should speak, but it cannot instruct a whole language group. It must reflect how the large language group speaks, and if the majority of a group shifts, the grammar must reflect that. Otherwise it is irrelevant. So, all that to say, most English speakers, at least in the U.S., would say "It was me who called you," NOT "It was I who called you." I don't think anyone I know would say "It was I who called you," although it wouldn't sound wrong, just very old and literary. When it comes to he/him, she/her, they/them, as I said, I think either one could be said. This is all about what is okay if you are ACTUALLY speaking English with true English speakers. If you are taking a test and you know that your teacher believes in the old nominative position rule, you'd better write that as your answer so you don't get points off. Does that make sense? :)
@domybarahona8985
3 жыл бұрын
@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher about the question marks a heard that a long time ago in the movie Vertical Limit, but if it is wrong usage then I will discard it. Thanks a lot for your answer ; I have asked this same question to native speakers vía Hi Native App. One of them told me that both of them are ok, but It was he who killed Mary. Is more formal, the. Other told me the way around and that matter is tricky. I delved into Quoara looking for an explanation and what I found is very similar to what you have stated. In the TOEFL or IELTS which is the way forwward that's the core of my question. When somebody answers the phone, which is the one to use : Hi Domy speaking, this is he or him speaking. Again, thanks a lot for the time you take answering my questions; I really do appreciate that.
@JeanietheEnglishTeacher
3 жыл бұрын
@@domybarahona8985 When you answer the phone at a business, you might say, "Hi, Domy speaking," or something that the business wants you to say. When answering your personal phone, many people don't even identify themselves. Personally, I don't like that, and I identify myself like my parents taught me. :) The typical way to do that is to say, "Hi, this is Domy." If you don't say who you are and the person says, "I'd like to speak to Domy, please," then that is a case where the old nominative form is still considered proper, so yes, you can say, "This is he," or, more commonly, you just say, "Speaking."
@domybarahona8985
3 жыл бұрын
@@JeanietheEnglishTeacher great clarification and thanks a lot
@theprince9035
Жыл бұрын
I am getting confused with these kind of questions...What is the best way to understand these type of questions...Can you help me? 1)He is better than I/me 2)It is I/me who solved the problem
@JeanietheEnglishTeacher
11 ай бұрын
This is a good but tricky question. Language is always in a state of change, not only in vocabulary but also in grammar. Originally, pronouns always aligned with their grammatical function of subject. direct object, etc., but that has shifted somewhat over time, and it continues to shift. You can read a longer explanation about this in my response to the previous question here in the comments. So, to respond to your two examples, we would typically say, "He is better than me" and "It is me who solved the problem." Here's a way to decide whether or not to use the subject or object pronoun. If the pronoun is acting as a subject in a clause -- that is, if it is in a clause with the verb that makes it a subject -- then it needs to be a subject pronoun. If it is not in the same clause as the verb for which it is a subject, we usually use object pronouns. 1) Pronoun in a clause with its verb: He is better than I am. Pronoun by itself: He is better than me. 2) Pronoun in a clause with its verb: I solved the problem. Pronoun in a separate clause from the verb "solved" ("who" is the subject of the adjective clause): It is me who solved the problem.
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