"Than me" vs "Than I"

[subhajit123]

Hi there, I have a question regarding usage of comparative degree.

Here is the example:

1- He has more experience than I have/do.

2- He has more experience than I.

3- He has more experience than me.

My grammar book says and I have also searche through many sites on internet that says that the first two forms are correct and the second form is the short form of the first. My question is, can I use the third form in informal writings and speaking?

And one more question, does the following sentence sound good to your native years?

4- He received more prizes as a football player in school than me.

I know the above form is not grammatical but I have seen native speakers use the above structure often. I want your opinions.

 

[Rover_KE]

In informal writing and speaking, you can use whichever you like. You're not going to fail an exam or lose marks in a test.

 

[GoesStation]

Nearly all native speakers use number 1 or number 3. According to a rule that grammarians invented a couple of centuries ago, number 3 is wrong. Some speakers abide by that rule, but it's artificial and ignored by all the rest.

 

[Skrej]

It's the same situation you'll hear debated regarding how to respond to a phone calling asking to speak with you.

According to grammarians, you should respond with "This is he/she'." However, many (probably most) people respond with 'This is him/her".

My high school English teacher repeated drilled this into us with a story about how she got a job by answering the phone call for an interview with "This is she." Her employer later told her that he hired her based on that response.

Of course, as I recall, the job was for some kind of editing or proofreading position, so the employer probably placed a much higher value on grammatical 'correctness' than would other employers.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Hi there, I have a question regarding usage of comparative degree.

Here is the example:

1- He has more experience than I have/do. Both are good.

2- He has more experience than I. It's grammatical but sounds stuffy and unnatural.

3- He has more experience than me. It's natural but not grammatical.

My grammar book says and I have also searche through many sites on internet that says that the first two forms are correct and the second form is the short form of the first. My question is, can I use the third form in informal writings and speaking?

It's up to you. It's okay to break rules as long as you (a) know the rules and (b) know why you're breaking them.

And one more question, does the following sentence sound good to your native years?

4- He received more prizes as a football player in school than me. I like "than I did." That's both natural and grammatical.

I know the above form is not grammatical but I have seen native speakers use the above structure often. I want your opinions.

It depends. Our opinion on what?

Yes, I agree that a lot of people say "than me," if that's what you're wondering.

If you're wondering whether I think it's strictly grammatical, no, I don't, because I haven't seen any American grammar book that allows it. But (a) I haven't seen every American grammar book, and (b) lots of people do say it's grammatical.

So you be the judge!