which sentence is wrong?

[malmo]

It is me who won the first prize last year.
It is I who won the first prize last year.

thank you in advance

 

[engee30]

It is me who won the first prize last year.
It is I who won the first prize last year.

thank you in advance

Grammatically speaking and taking purism into consideration, I state that the correct sentence is the second one.

Who won the first prize last year?
I won the first prize last year.
It is I who won the first prize last year.

Compare this:
Who(m) did you beat in the competition last week?
I beat Marcus/him in the competition last week.
It was Marcus/him (NOT he) that I beat in the competition last week.

 

[banderas]

Grammatically speaking and taking purism into consideration, I state that the correct sentence is the second one.

Who won the first prize last year?
I won the first prize last year.
It is I who won the first prize last year.

Compare this:
Who(m) did you beat in the competition last week?
I beat Marcus/him in the competition last week.
It was Marcus/him (NOT he) that I beat in the competition last week.

I completely agree with you:-D here (and I like you explanation) although I bet there ate many natives who say
it is me who won the prize last year.

 

[engee30]

I completely agree with you:-D here (and I like you explanation) although I bet there ate many natives who say
it is me who won the prize last year.

Yes, but my question is whether it is okay to use a past form of the verb in the who-clause and a present form of the verb to be in the main clause?

It is I who won...
or
It was I who won...

(I'm talking about the parallelism between the tenses used).
:-?

 

[banderas]

Yes, but my question is whether it is okay to use a past form of the verb in the who-clause and a present form of the verb to be in the main clause?

It is I who won...
or
It was I who won...

(I'm talking about the parallelism between the tenses used).
:-?

Let us picture such a situation, shall we?
You invited a girl to the party one week ago. Now we are walking outside in the park and we are bumping into her accidentally. I do not know her so you want to introduce her to me, right.

"it is the girl I invited......"

I would not considered you wrong if you said
"it was the girl I invited...."
Both forms seem correct

 

[engee30]

Both forms seem correct

You may be right, but a few years ago I was asked a question of the same kind by one of my pupils and couldn't answer it. It so happens that ever since I have not been able to give an answer to the question myself. That pupil had been told by his teacher that it was wrong to use two different tenses in this type of sentence. :shock:

 

[banderas]

You may be right, but a few years ago I was asked a question of the same kind by one of my pupils and couldn't answer it. It so happens that ever since I have not been able to give an answer to the question myself. That pupil had been told by his teacher that it was wrong to use two different tenses in this type of sentence. :shock:

In this specific example the past tense we use telling the story has to be consistent as all the events happened in the past
"It was the last time that I had to go there as the doctor took out the stitches".

it is not always the case though. we are bumping into the girl in the present so you say it is the girl....who you invited ti the party in the past.

 

[engee30]

"it is the girl I invited......"

I would not considered you wrong if you said
"it was the girl I invited...."

Funny thing, but it was only a moment ago that I realized that your sentence is a sentence of different type to the sentence in question.

It is the girl (who/whom/that) I invited to the party last week. (identification through relative clause)
It was the girl who/that I invited to the party last week. (and not the boy, for example) = I invited the girl, not the boy, to the party last week. (defining through cleft sentence)
;-)

 

[beascarpetta]

I'd still opt for
"It was me who won the prize ...last year"

just gut feeling I suppose ;-)

 

[engee30]

In this specific example the past tense we use telling the story has to be consistent as all the events happened in the past
"It was the last time that I had to go there as the doctor took out the stitches".

:up:

 

[Jakeboy]

Funny thing, but it was only a moment ago that I realized that your sentence is a sentence of different type to the sentence in question.

It is the girl (who/whom/that) I invited to the party last week. (identification through relative clause)
It was the girl who/that I invited to the party last week. (and not the boy, for example) = I invited the girl, not the boy, to the party last week. (defining through cleft sentence)
;-)

Yes, I agree with you any more. In general use "is" is OK, but if you want to stress the girl who was the girl in the party last week, you should use "was".Am I right?

 

[Neillythere]

It is me who won the first prize last year.
It is I who won the first prize last year.

thank you in advance

I've come across this thread quite late in the discussion, and although I would agree that the 2nd sentence is technically correct, I would rather have said: "I am the one who won the first prize last year".

"It is I ..." would only be used, I believe, in prose etc, (as in: "It is I, Romeo ......." etc)not in normal speech.

 

[shalala]

It is I who won the first prize last year.
this is wrong sentences

 

[banderas]

I've come across this thread quite late in the discussion, and although I would agree that the 2nd sentence is technically correct, I would rather have said: "I am the one who won the first prize last year".

"It is I ..." would only be used, I believe, in prose etc, (as in: "It is I, Romeo ......." etc)not in normal speech.

I agree with you.

This depends on how much you want your sentence to sound like real spoken English.
For real spoken English, It is me...
For grammatically correct unnatural-sounding grammar-book English, it is I....
that by the way sounds a bit archaic...
I find it interesting that Dr. Grammar writes:

"It is I or it is me? According to the Merriam Webster's Dictionary of the English Language,"...instead of the old choice between right and wrong we are now choosing a style; it is a choice that is much closer to the reality of usage than the old one was...Clearly, both the it is I and it's me patterns are in reputable use and have been for a considerable time. It is I tends to be used in more formal or more stuffy situations; it's me predominates in real and fictional speech and in a more relaxed writing style."

It reminds me of "how are you? I am good" instead of "fine". Every one has been using (predominantly ) " I am good" which became commonly accepted. I encounter simliar language situation in my native language too.
I mean, this is one of those odd instances where the gramatically incorrect form is so commonplace that it's now considered correct.
What do you think?

 

[Neillythere]

Hi Folks

I'm a Brit, but not a teacher.

Shalala: Can you please identify whether or not you speak with the authority of a recognised English teacher or not, as per the Site rules.

Hi banderas. Many thanks for your very excellent post.
The only item I would query is the last paragraph.

I would personally never say: "I'm good"
I might say: "I'm well", if I'd recently been ill
I would say:"I'm fine"", whether or not I'd recently been ill.

Regards

 

[banderas]

Hi Folks

I'm a Brit, but not a teacher.

Shalala: Can you please identify whether or not you speak with the authority of a recognised English teacher or not, as per the Site rules.

Hi banderas. Many thanks for your very excellent post.
The only item I would query is the last paragraph.

I would personally never say: "I'm good"
I might say: "I'm well", if I'd recently been ill
I would say:"I'm fine"", whether or not I'd recently been ill.

Regards

thank you for your answer. I woul not like any one to get me wrong as it does not bother me if I hear "I am good". Actually I am passionate about English and try to find out as much as possible about it. I also have an impression that Americans tend more to say "I am good" than Brits do.Technically it is a mistake but as RonBee said if majority of speakers used "I am good" then it was good. There is something in it...

 

[Neillythere]

I agree.

Although I wouldn't personally use: "I'm good", I would understand what someone else meant and wouldn't object to it.

Regards