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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > Which is correct?
Which is correct?
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eaglestar
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Which is correct?
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Friends,
This has caused a debate among us here. hehehe. which is correct?
She is taller than me?
or
She is taller than i am?
I know the 2nd one is grammatically correct, but has the first one become acceptable now? It seems easier to say and all the young ones are saying the first one most often.
Thanks for your help.
Stella
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21 Jun 2009
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idamjate
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dear eaglestar,
in my opinion, you can say "She is taller than me" but not "She is taller than i am"
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21 Jun 2009
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libertybelle
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This is an on-going debate all over the world with just as many answers.
So anything goes.
Taller than I is correct but more formal.
In everyday language I hear taller than me more often.
So you can speak like a book or go with the flow!
L
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21 Jun 2009
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idamjate
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As far as I am concerned, language has undergone many changes. These changes should take their places in writing. You can take the example of the old fashioned language which disappeared. Hoping to open a kind of discussing.
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21 Jun 2009
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Zarade
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This�dichotomy between the grammatically correct language vs. the common usage language is very much on my mind. �I have been trying to correct and minimize incorrect use and also slang use (as school administration expects me to do).
Lately, I find myself coming out saying things in �common � way or more slang. �I find that the purpose of getting my point across directly to the student, and therefore communication effectiveness, are worth to me more than the exactness of grammar.�
Or more simply, I �ve let the darling students brainwash me with their usage....LOL |
21 Jun 2009
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alien boy
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Even amongst native speakers you�ll find �correct� prescriptive grammar is most likely to be found in formal writing & rarely in the spoken form of the language. The strength of prescriptive grammar for teaching purposes is that it is a quantifiable standard that can be applied to measure the �success� of learning a particular form of English. As teachers we should be well aware of the differences between formal language and �normal� language as it applies to prescriptive & descriptive grammars.
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21 Jun 2009
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Anna P
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If "Taller than I" is the grammatically correct form, how about "Taller than him" versus "Taller than he"? |
21 Jun 2009
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douglas
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Here is a pretty good explanation from Grammar girl:
Basically you have the "conjunctionist" and the "prepositionist" schools of thought.
If than is a conjunction (traditionally it is) then the answer is "than I" because the conjunction requires a independent clause after it: "He is taller than I {am}."
If than is a preposition then the answer is "taller than me" because the prepositon is modifying(?) the object of the sentence.
I personally like the "prepositionists" because they are the same people that helped get rid of the horrible "whom" 
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23 Jun 2009
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