I and me

Veron   Sat Nov 03, 2007 7:18 am GMT
Can somebody tell me which sentence is correct?

"She has got more cats than me."

"She has got more cats than I (have)."

(I often hear and use the first one but my intuition says the second one is more grammatical. ?)
guy from vancouver   Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:34 am GMT
both are grammatically correct but it depends on what you intended to say:
"She has got more cats than me" is basically the shorter version of "She has more cats than she has me"
"She has got more cats than I" is the shorter version of "She has more cats than I have cats"
furrykef   Sat Nov 03, 2007 3:43 pm GMT
Well, "than me" is how it's almost always said in colloquial English, but the "correct" way to say it, which sounds pedantic in anything but formal English, is "than I".

<< "She has got more cats than me" is basically the shorter version of "She has more cats than she has me" >>

This doesn't make any sense to me. I understand the idea you're trying to get across, but I don't understand what this sentence would actually mean. "More cats" describes a quantity, but "me" isn't quantifiable.

- Kef
J   Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:05 pm GMT
If you are not sure try to say it in your own language to see what sounds better. We English native speakers are notorious for mixing up nominative and accusative when it comes to our pronouns. :)
guy from vancouver   Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:38 am GMT
//<< "She has got more cats than me" is basically the shorter version of "She has more cats than she has me" >>

This doesn't make any sense to me. I understand the idea you're trying to get across, but I don't understand what this sentence would actually mean. "More cats" describes a quantity, but "me" isn't quantifiable.//

you're right. it doesn't make much sense in that circumstance. so technically, "she has got more cats than me" would, supposedly, not make sense.

however, there are times when both can make sense. consider:

he loves the tv more than i
he loves the tv more than me

both are grammatically correct but only the 2nd one could ever sensibly serve as a reason for divorce!
furrykef   Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:16 am GMT
Yes, that make sense. In that sentence, though, I would rather say "than I do" rather than just "than I" or "than me".

- Kef
furrykef   Fri Nov 09, 2007 6:21 am GMT
Also, if I want to say something like "he loves the TV more than he loves me", I'd probably phrase it that way as well. The problem is that, although the first sentence is unambiguous, it sounds a bit archaic or at least old-fashioned; the second sentence is ambiguous. So I don't really like either sentence, though if the context is sufficient to resolve the ambiguity, I think "than me" is fine in either case.

- Kef
Guest   Fri Nov 09, 2007 11:24 am GMT
I like cats.
-Me too.

Why is that I changes to Me?
Shouldn't it be?

I like cats.
-So do I.



I like cats.
-Me (likes them) too.
Damian in Edinburgh   Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:00 pm GMT
The little word "me" is one of the most mis-used words in British English and is a clear indication of the speaker's general education level. It certainly forms an important part of Nedspeak (Scotland) or Chavspeak (England - and Wales, presumably). It most often occurs in phrases like "me and my mate went down the pub last night". That's very strange when you think about it because it's most unlikely that the same speaker would say "me went down the pub last night" if he (or she) was going solo. As I say - strange.
Guest   Fri Nov 09, 2007 1:43 pm GMT
Damian

I don't really agree that using 'me' in the nominative necessarily reflects someone's level of education. I have learnt German and as such understand the difference between nominative and accusative, yet I still sometimes say things like 'Me and Jane went to the cinema yesterday'. I know that technically it isn't correct but it's what a lot of people say and I speak the language I hear around me. However when I speak German I would only ever use 'ich' for the nominative (unless I slipped up), because German adheres strictly to proper case usage. Also, if I was writing it in a formal written contect I would say 'Jane and I went to the cinema yesterday'.
Travis   Fri Nov 09, 2007 2:44 pm GMT
>>I don't really agree that using 'me' in the nominative necessarily reflects someone's level of education. I have learnt German and as such understand the difference between nominative and accusative, yet I still sometimes say things like 'Me and Jane went to the cinema yesterday'. I know that technically it isn't correct but it's what a lot of people say and I speak the language I hear around me. However when I speak German I would only ever use 'ich' for the nominative (unless I slipped up), because German adheres strictly to proper case usage. Also, if I was writing it in a formal written contect I would say 'Jane and I went to the cinema yesterday'.<<

Same here - it is very usual for people to say things "me and Jane" and especially things like "me and my friend" as subjects, regardless of their level of education. Rather, I actually see this topic the other way around, seeing things like "Jane and I" being artificial prescriptive constructions rather than anything showing that one is "educated" in any way.
Travis   Fri Nov 09, 2007 2:59 pm GMT
>>Well, "than me" is how it's almost always said in colloquial English, but the "correct" way to say it, which sounds pedantic in anything but formal English, is "than I".<<

Even in formal spoken English today, it is "than me". "Than I" belongs in the same category as other archaic forms which are still anachronistically prescribed by some such as "It is I" and, in some cases, is akin to forms that would not be grammatical at all had it not been for the prescriptivists such as "He lived by my friend and I".

>>"She has got more cats than me" is basically the shorter version of "She has more cats than she has me"<<

Umm, sorry, but no. "Than" is clearly a preposition and not a conjunction here, and there is no need to try to force it into being interpreted as a conjunction, whatever prescriptivists say notwithstanding.

And, of course, its being a preposition here means that it would be "than me", not "than I". Even then, "than I" only works if one analyzes a silent "have got" after "than "I", which I find to be rather specious myself.
Guest   Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:36 pm GMT
Although I said I don't agree with Damian that someone's use of 'I' and 'me' necessarily reflects their level of education, that doesn't mean I don't think it affects how others might perceive your level of education.
furrykef   Fri Nov 09, 2007 4:38 pm GMT
I agree with Guest above. It's unfortunate that such minor details can cause such great impressions, but they can and do.
guest   Fri Nov 09, 2007 5:06 pm GMT
<<Although I said I don't agree with Damian that someone's use of 'I' and 'me' necessarily reflects their level of education, that doesn't mean I don't think it affects how others might perceive your level of education. >>

If you're the type of person that judges others merely by outward appearances (in this case, how they are speaking).

I am "educated" (I hate saying that) but I know how to speak according to my environment. When I am in the right circumstance, I say "Me and you went..." but when it calls for it, I can up the register and speak "correctly". Education is good, but knowing how to communicate with all levels of people is better.