Exercise.
Correct the italicized pronouns in the following sentences, giving reasons from the analysis of the sentence:—
1. Whom they were I really cannot specify.
2. Truth is mightier than us all.
3. If there ever was a rogue in the world, it is me.
4. They were the very two individuals whom we thought were far away.
5. "Seems to me as if them as writes must hev a kinder gift fur it, now."
6. The sign of the Good Samaritan is written on the face of whomsoever opens to the stranger.
7. It is not me you are in love with.
8. You know whom it is that you thus charge.
9. The same affinity will exert its influence on whomsoever is as noble as these men and women.
10. It was him that Horace Walpole called a man who never made a bad figure but as an author.
11. We shall soon see which is the fittest object of scorn, you or me.
Me in exclamations.
403. It is to be remembered that the objective form is used in exclamations which turn the attention upon a person; as,—
Unhappy me! That I cannot risk my own worthless life.—Kingsley
Alas! miserable me! Alas! unhappy Señors!—Id.
Ay me! I fondly dream—had ye been there.—Milton.
Nominative for the objective.
404. The rule for the objective form is wrongly departed from—
(1) When the object is far removed from the verb, verbal, or preposition which governs it; as, "He that can doubt whether he be anything or no, I speak not to" (he should be him, the object of to); "I saw men very like him at each of the places mentioned, but not he" (he should be him, object of saw).
(2) In the case of certain pairs of pronouns, used after verbs, verbals, and prepositions, as this from Shakespeare, "All debts are cleared between you and I" (for you and me); or this, "Let thou and I the battle try" (for thee and me, or us).
(3) By forgetting the construction, in the case of words used in apposition with the object; as, "Ask the murderer, he who has steeped his hands in the blood of another" (instead of "him who," the word being in apposition with murderer).
Exception 1, who interrogative.
405. The interrogative pronoun who may be said to have no objective form in spoken English. We regularly say, "Who did you see?" or, "Who were they talking to?" etc. The more formal "To whom were they talking?" sounds stilted in conversation, and is usually avoided.
In literary English the objective form whom is preferred for objective use; as,—
Knows he now to whom he lies under obligation?—Scott.
What doth she look on? Whom doth she behold?—Wordsworth.
Yet the nominative form is found quite frequently to divide the work of the objective use; for example,—
My son is going to be married to I don't know who.—Goldsmith.
Who have we here?—Id.
Who should I meet the other day but my old friend.—Steele.
He hath given away half his fortune to the Lord knows who.—Kingsley.
Who have we got here?—Smollett.
Who should we find there but Eustache?—Marrvat.
Who the devil is he talking to?—Sheridan.
Exception 2, but he, etc.
406. It is a well-established usage to put the nominative form, as well as the objective, after the preposition but (sometimes save); as,—
All were knocked down but us two.—Kingsley.
Thy shores are empires, changed in all save thee.—Byron.
Rich are the sea gods:—who gives gifts but they?—Emerson.
The Chieftains then
Returned rejoicing, all but he.
—Southey
No man strikes him but I.—Kingsley.
None, save thou and thine, I've sworn,
Shall be left upon the morn.
—Byron.