|
|

02-26-2011, 09:39 AM
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: New York
Posts: 16,739
|
|
I don't know. I agree there is some laxness in the rule, but "taller than her" sounds a bit crude to me. But "taller than she" sounds stilted. I think I generally find myself saying "taller than she is," including the verb just to make it clear that my choice of pronoun is correct.
|

02-26-2011, 09:45 AM
|
 |
Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Saint Paul, MN
Posts: 9,668
|
|
To get a feel for the variety out there, try googling, "comparisons with 'than'." Here's one such result. Scroll down to the box that says "Taller than...?"
|

02-26-2011, 09:57 AM
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saeby, Denmark
Posts: 3,246
|
|
"It is she" is only used in the most formal of social contexts (unless used mockingly). Likewise, "I am taller than she." The conjunction, 'than', is used as a preposition: "I am taller than her."
Another feature I see disappearing is the use of the comparative in this example: "Which of you two is the taller?" Where the grammatically incorrect "Which of you two is the tallest?" is the preferred version in most social contexts, as the correct version is deemed too pedantic.
O tempora, o mores!
Duncan
|

02-26-2011, 10:30 AM
|
 |
Member
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Breaux Bridge, LA, USA
Posts: 3,511
|
|
Great website, Maryann. Everything's on the net if you only know where to look.
Yes, Duncan, mores are changing. I expect to go to my grave as the last person to bother making a distinction between "lie" and "lay".
|

02-26-2011, 12:11 PM
|
 |
Member
|
|
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 12,945
|
|
But Roger, you're fatter than me. I mean you're not fatter than I, are you?
And could anyone say you're not as fat as I?
|

02-26-2011, 03:40 PM
|
 |
Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Old South Wales (UK)
Posts: 6,780
|
|
John - pop a verb in and suck it and see. You are fatter than me am? I don't think so. Whereas your not being as fat as I am is not only grammatical but true.
|

02-26-2011, 04:07 PM
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Venice, Italy
Posts: 2,399
|
|
Yes, but the verb isn't there. And when the verb isn't there, we tend to consider the word "than" as a preposition rather than a conjunction. (Look at the use of the word "than" in that sentence; isn't it more like a preposition than a conjunction? And there too?)
When we put in the verb, then of course the word "than" changes its function and becomes a conjunction. (I could turn this into a poem, I guess.)
The same thing happens with other words, like "as":
He used his shoe as a hammer.
There it's clearly being used as a preposition (and in this sentence too).
But in the sentence "He used his shoe as he would have used a hammer...", it's clearly a conjunction.
Admit it, doesn't it feel a little bit twee when you say "He's taller than I" (not to mention fatter)?
|

02-26-2011, 05:02 PM
|
 |
Member
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: a foothill of the Catskills
Posts: 968
|
|
In conversation, I do exactly as Ann suggests.
I cannot bring myself to say "taller than her" (or, in New Yawkese, "talluh than huh"), so I always add the second verb.
So I don't smell like mothballs. I hope...
|
 |
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
Member Login
Forum Statistics:
Forum Members: 8,515
Total Threads: 22,698
Total Posts: 279,778
There are 2995 users
currently browsing forums.
Forum Sponsor:
|
 |
 |
|
 |
|