[Grammar] than I? than me?

[azhu]

"Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than I"
"Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than me"
Which one is correct? And why?

 

[~Mav~]

*** NOT A TEACHER ***


I think it is safe to say that both are considered correct. Purists may insist that only the first one ("...older than I") is correct, as an ellipsis for "older than I am", but "...older than me" is absolutely accepted in today's English.

You may find this thread useful.

In formal language it is possibly better to use 'I' but in everyday usage 'me' is more common unless followed by a verb or clause.

 

[Tdol]

They're both fine, and you can also say ...than I am. Some people argue that me is wrong, but this is ignored by most native speakers.

 

[karoinesa]

After than/as it is more usual to say me/him/her/them/us when there is no verb:
You are taller than me.
You are taller than i am.

 

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, karoinesa.

Your posts will be easier to read if you use quotation marks or italics when appropriate:

After "than/as", it is more usual to say "me/him/her/them/us" when there is no verb:
"You are taller than me."
"You are taller than [STRIKE]i[/STRIKE] I am"

After than/as, it is more usual to say me/him/her/them/us when there is no verb:
You are taller than me.
You are taller than I am

 

[TheParser]

"Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than I"
"Your husband doesn't believe that you are older than me"
Which one is correct? And why?

ONLY A NON-TEACHER'S OPINION


(1) You have already received excellent answers.

(2) I only wanted to advise you to always use the correct form "I" because:

(a) You will make your teachers happy.

(b) You will show native speakers that you speak "correct" English.

(c) Above all, you will be proud of yourself for speaking standard English and

knowing the rule.

(i) Just because "many" people speak a certain way does not mean that you

should copy them. Today, most people say "It is me." So what? The correct

way is "It is I," and people should use that pronoun. This is, of course, only my

opinion (as stated at the top of my post). I can only hope that you decide to become

a member of the good English club.