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Kooyeen Posted 19 years ago
Grammar

I'm not sure it was a HIM

Hi,
I just found this:

- Maybe he's Filipino.
- I'm not even sure it was a him.

I thought only "he" was used in those kinds of contexts. Is "him", so, objective pronoun, more common? "It" is ok, because the person was not identified. But look at the next example:

- Did you read that new book by J. K. Lowling? I think she's a good writer...
- Yeah... good writer. Maybe. I'm not even sure [it/that/etc.] is a [she/her].

Here, "it" shouldn't be ok, so what can I use?
Thanks in advance Emotion: smile
  

Top answer

Yeah... good writer. Maybe.

— Feebs11

  • Yeah...
  • good writer.
  • Maybe.
  • I'm not even sure that it is "she".
  • is what I would expect.
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13 Answers
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Yeah... good writer. Maybe. I'm not even sure that it is "she". is what I would expect.

NB J.K. Rowling
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KooyeenI'm not even sure it was a him.
This is just a very colloquial way to say: I'm not even sure the individual was male.
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Hi,
thanks.
Feebs11 Yeah... good writer. Maybe. I'm not even sure that it is "she". is what I would expect.

NB J.K. Rowling
Hmm, how's that possible? You are explicitly referring to a person as "it", and that's not possible, as far as I know. But I see you wrote "it is she" without the article, so you are ac
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Hi,

We can use 'it' when discussing a person's identity. Consider things like these.

Look, it's a policeman.

Who's that? It's Tom.

Congratulations, it's a boy.

Best wishes, Clive
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CliveWe can use 'it' when discussing a person's identity. Consider things like these.

Look, it's a policeman.

Who's that? It's Tom.

Congratulations, it's a boy.
Hi,
thanks Clive.
But those "its" are used to identify som
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Hi,

But those "its" are used to identify someone, not to refer to someone explicitly. Example:
You say "who is it" when someone knocks at the door.

That's true. But in your original example,

- Maybe he's Filipino.
- I'm not even sure it was a him.

it seems to me that t
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- Did you read that new book by J. K. Lowling? I think she's a good writer...
- Yeah... good writer. Maybe. I'm not even sure [it1/that/etc.] is a [she/her].
Choose the ones in red.

Did you see that new movie by Lowling? I'm v
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Hi again,

I'm not even sure it was a him.
As pointed out earlier, it's a colloquial way of speaking. I'd even say it's a rather arch way of speaking. It's the kind of thing people say in a slightly playful and slightly humorous way, knowing that they are taking a liberty with normal grammar. Nobody is going to say this in a job interview or in a college essay.
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arch 2 a : MISCHIEVOUS, SAUCY b : marked by a deliberate and often forced playfulness, irony, or impudence <known for her arch comments> <decided to answer them by being teacherly in a sort of arch, Olympian way -- Gerald Early>

H
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CalifJimHmm. I would not have described it that way at all.
I'm not even sure it's a him sounds like a very ordinary remark to me when in doubt about the *** of someone,
In Britain such an expression is quite common to describe someone with traits of a ""; the pronouns "it" and "him" being used by the speaker to display the le
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