Re: English grammar help

From: Mike Adams (mikadams@ix.netcom.com)
Date: Fri Dec 15 1995 - 10:12:12 EST


You wrote:
>
>In light of other comments on this list calling for the objective
>case (whom, him), I looked this issue up in my favorite reference
>for the English language, R. Quick et al., A COMPREHENSIVE GRAMMAR
>OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE (1985), and I found that certain verbs, one
>of which is "to claim," take a subjectless infinitive clause as its
>direct object. The 'understood' subject of this clause is "always
>the same as the subject of the superordinatate clause." [Id. at
>1187, # 16.38]. This means that the nominative is correct.
>
>..snip.. This rule appears to hold up in the Koine as well [BDF ##
>396, 405; e.g. He11:4 EMARTURHQH EIVAI DIKAIOS], and also Latin if
>my memory of it is correct.

!!Neat!!

>
>The writers of this English grammar notes that for informal English,
>the grammatical rule is changing from a case concord rule to a
>territoriality rule. Basically, pronouns are found either in a
>"subject territory" (before the verb) or in an "object territory"
>(after the verb or preposition). Under this analysis, the rule favors
>"who" in "The Son of Man is the Messiah who Jesus claims to be" because
>"who" is in subject territory; and "him" in "Jesus claims to be him"
>because "him" is in object territory.

??Does that mean we're slowly doing away with predicate nominatives??

>
>Examples:
>- You're the person to whom I spoke. [Formal & Informal: object
territory]
>- *You're the person to who I spoke. [Ungrammatical: object territory]
>- You're the person whom I spoke to. [Formal: objective case concord]
>- You're the person who I spoke to. [Informal: subject territory]
>
I was taught never to use a preposition to end a sentence with.

>
>Stephen Carlson

PS: Here's installment #1 of the English grammar hotline answer.

 "Ellen--WHO--we had reached a conclusion, but we were up to our ears in
  dealing with students and final exams. More later. AHC

  Anna Clark
  Department of English
  The University of Tennessee at Martin"

Would it be okay if I forwarded them your post? They might appreciate the
information.

Thanks,

Ellen Adams



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