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The rule of thumb would be to fill in the implied verb and see which one makes sense. "So nobody could be more surprised than I was that a Lisp dialect ..." "

The rule of thumb would be to fill in the implied verb and see which one makes sense. "So nobody could be more surprised than I was that a Lisp dialect ..." "So nobody could be more surprised than me was that a Lisp dialect ..." Then it becomes clear that "I" is correct.

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billmcneale 16y ago
> Then it becomes clear that "I" is correct. No, it's not. Your sentences are correct, though, but you altered them from the original by adding a verb, thereby requiring the presence of a subject. The original sentence doesn't have a verb, therefore they need the object form. In other words: "You're stronger than I am" "You're stronger than me" This last sentence is the form used in the article.
- hcayless 16y ago
  Sigh. English grammar is hard. The word "than" is a conjunction (like "and"), but it can also be used prepositionally. Your second sentence is more colloquial American English, and it's not wrong, but it's also not wrong to keep the nominative case ("I"), as in your first example. If the verb in the subordinate clause is the same as in the main clause, it can be assumed. tl;dr Being a grammar nazi is a mug's game.
  - billmcneale 16y ago
    Ah, so you're a conjunctionist, uh? :-) Conjunctions are supposed to connect whole sentences, and while "I am" is a complete sentence, "I" is not, which casts doubt on the correctness of "than I", thereby hinting that "than" in this case is a preposition, which mush therefore be followed by an object, e.g. "me". It's a two century old debate, but I say we settle it right now, right here, on Hacker News, once and for all. tl;dr: "than me" and "than I am" are correct. "than I" is not.
- jdludlow 16y ago
  A pronoun in a comparison is nominative if it is the subject of a stated or understood verb. Sandy writes better than I. (Than I write.) -- Strunk & White, 4th Edition, section 10. I realize that grammar discussions are as boring as they come, but this is a case of someone learning English so it's important to be accurate.
  - ShardPhoenix 16y ago
    Strunk & White is frequently wrong and doesn't even follow it's own rules. For example, what you quoted is obviously wrong - "better than me" is correct here and is what anyone who isn't completely pretentious would write.
- dfan 16y ago
  Both usages are perfectly fine. It is unlikely that I'll convince you with any argument here, so I'll just recommend that you check out a reference on English usage. My favorite is Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. P.S. Clojure is great and I am enjoying this book so far. Edit: Aha, I saw in a later response of yours that you're already aware that both usages are considered fine and just have a strong personal opinion. Carry on.
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billmcneale 16y ago

> Then it becomes clear that "I" is correct. No, it's not. Your sentences are correct, though, but you altered them from the original by adding a verb, thereby requiring the presence of a subject. The original sentence doesn't have a verb, therefore they need the object form. In other words: "You're stronger than I am" "You're stronger than me" This last sentence is the form used in the article.

hcayless 16y ago
Sigh. English grammar is hard. The word "than" is a conjunction (like "and"), but it can also be used prepositionally. Your second sentence is more colloquial American English, and it's not wrong, but it's also not wrong to keep the nominative case ("I"), as in your first example. If the verb in the subordinate clause is the same as in the main clause, it can be assumed. tl;dr Being a grammar nazi is a mug's game.
- billmcneale 16y ago
  Ah, so you're a conjunctionist, uh? :-) Conjunctions are supposed to connect whole sentences, and while "I am" is a complete sentence, "I" is not, which casts doubt on the correctness of "than I", thereby hinting that "than" in this case is a preposition, which mush therefore be followed by an object, e.g. "me". It's a two century old debate, but I say we settle it right now, right here, on Hacker News, once and for all. tl;dr: "than me" and "than I am" are correct. "than I" is not.
jdludlow 16y ago
A pronoun in a comparison is nominative if it is the subject of a stated or understood verb. Sandy writes better than I. (Than I write.) -- Strunk & White, 4th Edition, section 10. I realize that grammar discussions are as boring as they come, but this is a case of someone learning English so it's important to be accurate.
- ShardPhoenix 16y ago
  Strunk & White is frequently wrong and doesn't even follow it's own rules. For example, what you quoted is obviously wrong - "better than me" is correct here and is what anyone who isn't completely pretentious would write.
dfan 16y ago
Both usages are perfectly fine. It is unlikely that I'll convince you with any argument here, so I'll just recommend that you check out a reference on English usage. My favorite is Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage. P.S. Clojure is great and I am enjoying this book so far. Edit: Aha, I saw in a later response of yours that you're already aware that both usages are considered fine and just have a strong personal opinion. Carry on.

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