# "Me" is not a dirty word **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 12, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220 "2009-08-12T20:43:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/41 "2009-08-13T14:35:20Z")
“This is he” isn’t passive voice anyway (although “a phone call where he was asked for by name” IS passive voice, and a dead awkward construction to boot). It’s merely a sentence in which the main verb is a form of “to be,” which does _not_ automatically make it passive. Active voice = the subject of the sentence is the person or thing performing the main action. Passive voice = the subject of the sentence is the person or thing being acted upon. Thus, “The minotaur is eating James” = active, even though it contains a form of “to be”; “James is being eaten by the minotaur” = passive. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/42 "2009-08-13T15:06:06Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Bob’s and my friend got arrested last night. “A friend of Bob and me” no, since “A friend of me” So, “A friend of Bob’s and mine” ?? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/43 "2009-08-13T15:08:09Z")
I was referencing ‘got’. I would have used ‘was’. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/44 "2009-08-13T15:11:06Z")
Okay, so “was” may have been a better word choice, but it’s not a crime against humanity. Saying “I’s” is. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/45 "2009-08-13T15:31:31Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > You’ll take “This is she” from me when you pry it from my cold dead vocal cords. Exactly, it’s just good grammar. I yelled at the TV twice (and annoyed my husband) when one of the characters in the movie we were watching said, “This is her.” Twice! Balls. But I got to exasperate the spouse, which is a win. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/46 "2009-08-13T16:17:02Z")
I guess I’ll glom onto my own thread with this one, an email in response to a request I made: “I will look at it momentarily and get back to you.” How can she know she’ll have the answer by looking at it for only a moment? She seems very confident in her processing abilities. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/47 "2009-08-13T16:20:21Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > Exactly, it’s just good grammar. I yelled at the TV twice (and annoyed my husband) when one of the characters in the movie we were watching said, “This is her.” Twice! Balls. > > But I got to exasperate the spouse, which is a win. I’m not sure I follow you. Isn’t the subject of that sentence “this,” not “she”? If so, wouldn’t “her” be appropriate? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/48 "2009-08-13T16:26:43Z")
Yeah, but she is this. This is she. She = this. If you think it as short for “This is her speaking”, that’s a different story. ETA Chicago manual on-line sez “This is she” is grammatically correct. The verb “to be” acts as a linking verb, equating subject and object. So this is she and she is this; “she” and “this” are one and the same, interchangeable, and to be truly interchangeable they must both play the same grammatical role—that of the subject. > **[The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition](https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/Pronouns/Pronouns11.html)** > > Find it. Write it. Cite it. The Chicago Manual of Style Online is the venerable, time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format. ¶ It is the indispensable reference for writers, editors, proofreaders, indexers,... ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/49 "2009-08-13T17:46:34Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > ETA Chicago manual on-line sez > > “This is she” is grammatically correct. The verb “to be” acts as a linking verb, equating subject and object. So this is she and she is this; “she” and “this” are one and the same, interchangeable, and to be truly interchangeable they must both play the same grammatical role—that of the subject. FTR, I do answer the phone this way, or sometimes just, “This is.” But I just consider it an exception, and I’ve never agreed with the above explanation, because it doesn’t hold in parallel constructions: If you’re looking at a police lineup, and you see the man what done you wrong, would you say, “That’s _him_!” or “That’s _he_!”? Or if you’re looking at old family photos, and someone points to your cousin and says “Is this you?”, would you say, “No, that’s my cousin; this is _me_.” or “… this is _I_.”? In these cases, I always use the object form, as does everyone I know, so I’m inclined to regard that as correct. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/50 "2009-08-13T17:59:39Z")
> [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > If you’re looking at a police lineup, and you see the man what done you wrong, would you say, “That’s _him_!” or “That’s _he_!”? I’d be the one saying “That’s he”. ---
**Author:** ![Kalea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b487fb/32.png) [@Kalea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalea)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/51 "2009-08-13T18:12:53Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I’d be the one saying “That’s he”. When in doubt, recast. “He’s the one!” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/52 "2009-08-13T18:40:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I was referencing ‘got’. I would have used ‘was’. Don’t you mean ‘were’ I is going now, I is ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/53 "2009-08-13T19:13:33Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I’d be the one saying “That’s he”. Pesky. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/54 "2009-08-13T19:19:03Z")
> [@Kalea](#): > > When in doubt, recast. “He’s the one!” Oh, I’m not in doubt. “It’s he” will do just fine. Excitement mixed with fear is no excuse for bad grammar. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/55 "2009-08-13T19:50:16Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > Unlike our friend, Bob and I were not arrested last night. “Bob and I just found out our friend was arrested.” “A friend of Bob’s–and I suppose he’s my friend, too–got arrested yesterday\*.” “My friend was arrested yesterday. He’s Bob’s buddy, too.” “Bob just told me our friend got arrested.” “Bob and I have a mutual friend that got arrested last night.” - Pretend those “–” are em dashes, please. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/56 "2009-08-13T21:29:36Z")
Based on a dozen emails received today, I have come to the conclusion that people are using Microsoft Office as their language tutor. That can be the only excuse for using “advice” as an intransitive verb. It also looks like MS doesn’t care about the “myself” mistake, which is shocking since it’s such an easy rule to write into the usage editor. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/57 "2009-08-13T23:52:12Z")
[Ennis del Mar]“And that’s how come me end up here.”[/Ennis del Mar] An odd line, that. ---
**Author:** ![amarone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/58 "2009-08-14T01:00:24Z")
The guideline of excluding the other person is one with which I am familiar, but there are situations where I am still not sure whether me or I is correct: Bob is older than Bill and me. Bob is older than Bill and I. In the latter case, without Bill should it be “Bob is older than I” because of an implied “am” at the end? ---
**Author:** ![thirdwarning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecccb3/32.png) [@thirdwarning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thirdwarning)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/59 "2009-08-14T01:07:00Z")
Yes, it should be “older than I”. And, yes, that’s because of the implied “am” at the end. This is one that bugs me a lot. “than me” just makes me want to scream. Yes, I know I just started a sentence with a conjunction. That should tell you how much it bothers me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2009, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220/60 "2009-08-14T16:43:37Z")
> [@thirdwarning](#): > > Yes, it should be “older than I”. And, yes, that’s because of the implied “am” at the end. Whew! I was hoping I had been saying that right all these years. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/me-is-not-a-dirty-word/506220.md?page=4)