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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Michael Tomasky

Another thought on me and I

One more thought on me and I. There is one conspicuous case in which "I" is correct but most people say "me," which is the case of a comparative. John is older than me. Susan is smarter than me. Albert makes more money than me.

People say this all the time, in 'Murica at least, but of course "I" is correct, because one must factor in the unspoken verb in the sentence, which is usually "do" or "am" and which comes after the "I": i.e., Susan is smarter than I am, Albert makes more money than I do. But saying "John is older than I" can sound a little stilted and precious, so most people say me. I've always corrected for this by speaking the verb, the "do" or "am." It sounds un-stilted, and it's correct. Don't say I never told you anything useful.

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