[Gail White]

Here is something that has been bothering me. I was taught that the proper way to make a comparative statement is "Her sister is taller than she (is)." Now it seems to be the rule to say "Her sister is taller than her." I have seen this so many times that I can no longer write it off as one author's or editor's ignorance. Does anyone know when this change happened and why? Or have I always been wrong?
Thanks--

[Roger Slater]

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.

[Maryann Corbett]

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...?"

[Duncan Gillies MacLaurin]

"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

[Gail White]

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".

[John Whitworth]

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?

[Ann Drysdale]

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.

[Gregory Dowling]

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)?

[Michael F]

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...

[Janice D. Soderling]

It's one thing to say it, and another thing to write it. We all occasionally use colloquialisms ain't and phrases like give it to who!! or he don't know nothing from nothing", to make a point that we are being informal or friendly or funny or at least trying to be. But we know the difference and wouldn't write it in a magazine article.

But Gail was deploring that she sees it often in writing, newspapers maybe?

Keep up the good work Word Nerds. Lift that standard, tote that dangling participle.