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kneezah~
Joined: 08 Jan 2009
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 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:54 am Post subject: Another Grammar Question.... |
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"It is I that is going to meet Jim tomorrow."
My friend asked me if this sentence makes sense... It's a weird sentence. It's definitely not something someone would say, but is it grammatically correct? I typed it into word and I didn't get a grammar error. I guess it's weird to combine "I" and "is" in a sentence, but it seems okay. Any thoughts?^^ |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:44 am Post subject: Re: Another Grammar Question.... |
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| kneezah~ wrote: |
"It is I that is going to meet Jim tomorrow."
My friend asked me if this sentence makes sense... It's a weird sentence. It's definitely not something someone would say, but is it grammatically correct? I typed it into word and I didn't get a grammar error. I guess it's weird to combine "I" and "is" in a sentence, but it seems okay. Any thoughts?^^ |
hmm...
it comes down to the old...do you accept
It is I. or It is me. (which do you prefer?)
Both are defensible...though It is I...is a true prescriptive grammarians wet dream.
If we rewrite the sentence with a proper noun, the sentence is very easy to accept.
It is Paul that(who) is going to meet Jim tomorrow.
It is Paul - Independent Clause
that is going to meet Jim tomorrow - dependent clause.
As for the OP...there is a lot of debate on this but prescriptively it is defensible.
There are many prescriptive grammarians who still cling to ... It is I.
The rule that governed(note past tense) that construction is often under debate itself.
If it ever was a prescriptive rule...it has long been abandoned...and more to the point...has been actively rejected in modern English usage.
But the 'rule' is out there...
When using linking verbs....the pronoun following the linking verb should be in subjective(nominative) case.
so we get
It is I.
So in short, to answer your question...the sentence is fine...wickedly archaic...but grammatically correct.
Hope this is useful.  |
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FMPJ
Joined: 03 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:39 pm Post subject: |
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The sentence is grammatically correct (but of course also awful). The convention is that the pronouns on both sides of a linking verb must have the same case. Since "It" is the subject of the verb "is," the first-person pronoun should be in the subject case.
(The above is strictly for "Standard Written English" and is not at all prescriptive.) |
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