it is you who...

[banderas]

Dear techers,
I am in doubt again
it is you who decide about....
it is you who decides about...

Which option is... sounds(perhaps instead of "corrrect" I should use "sounds better") to your ears and why?
Thank you.

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by banderas

Dear techers,
I am in doubt again
it is you who decide about....
it is you who decides about...

Which option is... sounds(perhaps instead of "corrrect" I should use "sounds better") to your ears and why?
Thank you.

It does not "sound" right because "it" is the subjective pronoun and "you" is the objective pronoun. Ah, nothing like an empty "it" to get the heads rolling.

[stuartnz]

I'm not a teacher, so I can't speak to which is more correct, but I would definitely say and hear "It is you who decides".

[banderas]

Originally Posted by Batfink

It does not "sound" right because "it" is the subjective pronoun and "you" is the objective pronoun. Ah, nothing like an empty "it" to get the heads rolling.

Could you go into more details about that, please?
either is wrong because of "it is you"
what about "decide" or "decides"?
cheers

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by banderas

Could you go into more details about that, please?
either is wrong because of "it is you"
what about "decide" or "decides"?
cheers

I am sorry but I wanted you to work out what I meant by objective and subjective. Okay, here goes.

Nominative (or subjective) Case Pronouns are used as subjects and predicate nominatives. The nominative case pronouns are I, he, she, it, we, they, and who... For the pronoun to be a predicate nominative, the verb must be LINKING. The verb in your example is, er, "is". In your sentence you have the word "who" which is related to the main subject "it", therefore you must use "decides".

Objective Case Pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition. These objective case pronouns are you, me, him, her, you, us, them, and whom...

Is that better? Put it into a question: "who decides?"

[stuartnz]

I got thoroughly confused by "In your sentence you have the word "who" which is related to the main subject "it", therefore you must use "decide"."

and tried playing with the word order. I would say, "you decide", but I would say "it is you who decides" or "you are the one who decides" It may be contradictory from a confessed descriptivist, but ""it is you who decide" just sounds wrong to me.

[banderas]

Originally Posted by Batfink

Nominative (or subjective) Case Pronouns are used as subjects and predicate nominatives. The nominative case pronouns are I, he, she, it, we, they, and who... For the pronoun to be a predicate nominative, the verb must be LINKING. The verb in your example is, er, "is". In your sentence you have the word "who" which is related to the main subject "it", therefore you must use "decide". It is clear now, thank you. If so, why 9 out of 10 natives say "it is you who decides"? Can I compare this language situation to "It is I" and "It is me" where "It is me"predominates although "It is I" is perfectly correct?
Or perhaps to froms "I am good" and "I am well" where "I am good" is used overhemingly by native speakers as an answer to "how are you"

The most difficult thing in learnig English is the fact that English is changing so quickly that the connent of grammar books becomes simply irrelevant. I have no problem with this as it indicates that the language is alive and active. It makes English interesting but what I am supposed to say to my students?
Learn what grammar says but take into account that it might be irrelevant or even invalid?


Objective Case Pronouns are used as direct objects, indirect objects, and objects of the preposition. These objective case pronouns are you, me, him, her, you, us, them, and whom...

Is that better? Yes, that's better now. Put it into a question: "who decides?"

here "who" might be any one, some one, every one, no one (so always third person with linking verb ending with-s), right? I am lloking forward to hearing from you again.

[Batfink]

Originally Posted by stuartnz

I got thoroughly confused by "In your sentence you have the word "who" which is related to the main subject "it", therefore you must use "decide"."

and tried playing with the word order. I would say, "you decide", but I would say "it is you who decides" or "you are the one who decides" It may be contradictory from a confessed descriptivist, but ""it is you who decide" just sounds wrong to me.

Okay. What type of word is "who" and how is the word used? When you learn that then you will not be so confused.

[banderas]

Originally Posted by stuartnz

I got thoroughly confused by "In your sentence you have the word "who" which is related to the main subject "it", therefore you must use "decide"."

and tried playing with the word order. I would say, "you decide", but I would say "it is you who decides" or "you are the one who decides" It may be contradictory from a confessed descriptivist, but ""it is you who decide" just sounds wrong to me.

Batfink, Stuart's comment is that I meant. "it is you who decide" is correct but sounds unnatural to 9 out of 10 natives. Why?

[stuartnz]

Originally Posted by banderas

Batfink, Stuart's comment is that I meant. "it is you who decide" is correct but sounds unnatural to 9 out of 10 natives. Why?

I don't think the key pronoun here is "you". I think the pronoun the verb has to agree with is "it". If I replace "you" with "I", the result is the same. "It is I who decides or "I am the one who decides. I hope a teacher can come along and clear this mess up.