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Anonymous Posted 19 years ago
Grammar
This logic works?
Hi,
I have asked this question before but I didn't receive a reply. Help me if you can.
I read it from somewhere that if you are not sure whether a particular pronoun is a subject or object, you turn the sentence around and if the sentence makes sense. you choose the right pronoun accordingly.
eg,
The best soccer player is him.
To test whether 'him' is a subject or not, you turn it around.
Him is the best player.
Now, it doesn't work, so you try what makes sense, which is 'He'.
I don't understand the logic of this. Can you explain how it works so I can understand?
I have asked this question before but I didn't receive a reply. Help me if you can.
I read it from somewhere that if you are not sure whether a particular pronoun is a subject or object, you turn the sentence around and if the sentence makes sense. you choose the right pronoun accordingly.
eg,
The best soccer player is him.
To test whether 'him' is a subject or not, you turn it around.
Him is the best player.
Now, it doesn't work, so you try what makes sense, which is 'He'.
I don't understand the logic of this. Can you explain how it works so I can understand?
Top answer
Forget the "logic" of what you have read and simply use established expressions and forms of pronouns: It' s him . - Object forms are normally used after forms of to be . Your "logic" is wrong.
- Forget the "logic" of what you have read and simply use established expressions and forms of pronouns: It' s him .
- - Object forms are normally used after forms of to be .
- Your "logic" is wrong.
- Language doesn't always follow a logic; instead, it grows unfettered towards light like a huge tree.
- CB
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4 Answers
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Forget the "logic" of what you have read and simply use established expressions and forms of pronouns:
It's him.
- Object forms are normally used after forms of to be.
Your "logic" is wrong. Language doesn't always follow a logic; instead, it grows unfettered towards light like a huge tree.
It's him.
- Object forms are normally used after forms of to be.
Your "logic" is wrong. Language doesn't always follow a logic; instead, it grows unfettered towards light like a huge tree.
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Thank you, CB. The problem is that I cannot figure out why it has to be 'him' in the case of 'The best player is him." The correct sentence seems to be "The best player is he." Why is that? The same can be said of this: When someone knocks and you happen to ask who the person is, the usual response from someone outside is "It is I" if that happens to be your wite or husband. IS IT? Why "I' her
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"He" is nominative; "Him" is accusative - the first is the subject, the second is the object. So in "He is the best player", he is the subject of the sentence; in "The best player is him", the best player is the subject.
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AnonymousThank you, CB. The problem is that I cannot figure out why it has to be 'him' in the case of 'The best player is him." The correct sentence seems to be "The best player is he." Why is that? The same can be said of this: When someone knocks and you happen to ask who the person is, the usual response from someone outside is "It is I" if that happens to be your wi
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