I. NOMINATIVE AND OBJECTIVE FORMS.

I. NOMINATIVE AND OBJECTIVE FORMS.

398. Since most of the personal pronouns, together with the relative _who_, have separate forms for nominative and objective use, there are two general rules that require attention.

[Sidenote: _General rules._]

(1) The _nominative use_ is usually marked by the nominative form of the pronoun.

(2) The _objective use_ is usually marked by the objective form of the pronoun.

These simple rules are sometimes violated in spoken and in literary English. Some of the violations are universally condemned; others are generally, if not universally, sanctioned.

[Sidenote: _Objective for the nominative._]

399. The objective is sometimes found instead of the nominative in the following instances:--

(1) By a common vulgarism of ignorance or carelessness, no notice is taken of the proper form to be used as subject; as,--

He and _me_ once went in the dead of winter in a one-hoss shay out to Boonville.--WHITCHER, _Bedott Papers._

It seems strange to me that _them_ that preach up the doctrine don't admire one who carrys it out.--_Josiah Allens Wife._

(2) By faulty analysis of the sentence, the true relation of the words is misunderstood; for example, "_Whom_ think ye that I am?" (In this, _whom_ is the complement after the verb _am_, and should be the nominative form, _who_.) "The young Harper, _whom_ they agree was rather nice-looking" (_whom_ is the subject of the verb _was_).

Especially is this fault to be noticed after an ellipsis with _than_ or _as_, the real thought being forgotten; thus,--

But the consolation coming from devotion did not go far with such a one as _her_.--TROLLOPE.

This should be "as _she_," because the full expression would be "such a one as _she is_."

400. Still, the last expression has the support of many good writers, as shown in the following examples:--

She was neither better bred nor wiser than you or _me_.--THACKERAY.

No mightier than thyself or _me_.--SHAKESPEARE.

Lin'd with Giants deadlier than _'em_ all.--POPE.

But he must be a stronger than _thee_.--SOUTHEY.

Not to render up my soul to such as _thee_.--BYRON.

I shall not learn my duty from such as _thee_.--FIELDING.

[Sidenote: _A safe rule._]

It will be safer for the student to follow the general rule, as illustrated in the following sentences:--

If so, they are yet holier than _we_.--RUSKIN.

Who would suppose it is the game of such as _he_?--DICKENS.

Do we see The robber and the murd'rer weak as _we_? --MILTON.

I have no other saint than _thou_ to pray to.--LONGFELLOW.

[Sidenote: "_Than_ whom."]

401. One exception is to be noted. The expression than whom seems to be used universally instead of "than _who_." There is no special reason for this, but such is the fact; for example,--

One I remember especially,--one _than whom_ I never met a bandit more gallant.--THACKERAY.

The camp of Richard of England, _than whom_ none knows better how to do honor to a noble foe.--SCOTT.

She had a companion who had been ever agreeable, and her estate a steward _than whom_ no one living was supposed to be more competent.--PARTON.

[Sidenote: "_It was_ he" _or_ "_It was_ him"?]

402. And there is one question about which grammarians are not agreed, namely, whether the nominative or the objective form should be used in the predicate after _was_, _is_, _are_, and the other forms of the verb _be_.

It may be stated with assurance that the literary language _prefers the nominative_ in this instance, as,--

For there was little doubt that it was _he_.--KINGSLEY.

But still it is not _she_.--MACAULAY.

And it was _he_ That made the ship to go. --COLERIDGE.

In spoken English, on the other hand, both in England and America, the objective form is regularly found, unless a special, careful effort is made to adopt the standard usage. The following are examples of spoken English from conversations:--

"Rose Satterne, the mayor's daughter?"--"That's _her_."--KINGSLEY.

"Who's there?"--"_Me_, Patrick the Porter."--WINTHROP.

"If there is any one embarrassed, it will not be _me_."--WM. BLACK.

The usage is too common to need further examples.

Exercise.

Correct the italicized pronouns in the following sentences, giving reasons from the analysis of the sentence:--

1. _Whom_ they were I really cannot specify.