Robert is better than I at ... or Robert is better than me at ...

[DodoRevival]

Which is the correct one?

For the record I would use the latter. Someone who regards themselves as being better educated than me and having a higher standard of English than I do recently used the former.

I have never been formally taught grammar and interested to know which it should be; also can you explain (in plain English!) why please?

[DadDadDad]

CHJR - you are one of those frustrating people who marches in after a long discussion and simply declares "X is correct, Y is incorrect". The discussion shows that a certain amount of variety has evolved.

If we interpret "than I" to be short for "than I am" then clearly that is grammatical and "than" is expressing a coordination between two phrases. But, clearly it's common and perfectly standard to say "than me" where there is no "am" implied and "than" is expressing a coordination between two nouns, like a preposition.

Both seem reasonable, and I don't see why we need grammar police to tell us only one is correct, simply because that's what they've been taught.

[PenPineapplePen]

Why do so many people think "he is better than me am" is a grammatically correct sentence?

[CHJR]

I am sorry to have to point out to you all, so long after this thread started, that grammatically, whether or not the full verbal phrase is spelled out (or spelt out), "Robert is better than I" is always correct, and "Robert is better than me" never is.

However -- even I would say "than me" in speech, though DS (13) recently rebuked me for using "whom" while talking...

[DadDadDad]

Skimming this thread, I think the conclusion is that "than me" and "than I" both have their place.

Interestingly, this sentence is ambiguous:
Sarah likes Robert more than me. [Does Sarah like Robert more than Sarah likes me OR does Sarah like Robert more than I like Robert?]

But this isn't:
Sarah likes Robert more than I. [contraction of Sarah likes Robert more than I like Robert]

[VintagePerfumista]

I wasn't linking to him to help the discussion. (Although his examples where the verb is elided show exactly the points raised on this thread)

I was linking to show, yet again, that thankfully, one of the greatest linguists of all time doesn't have the same problem as many people in understanding that sometimes, the fact that A is right, doesn't mean that B is wrong.

Which is what makes language so fabulous and interesting.

[ILikeyourHairyHands]

It's very simple.

YOU and I are WE
US is YOU and ME.

Transpose any of those in a sentence you'e unsure about and it will give you a clear answer.

No need to thank me.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

From the Chrystal blog

Consider such examples as the following, none of which allow I:

Dear me! Goodness me!

Silly me! Funny me!
Me go by train? Never!
Me and my big mouth!
Me in Blackpool. [photograph caption]
I got told off - and me only trying to be helpful.
Me? [do you mean me?)
Me too. Me neither.

I disagree with "I got told off - and me only trying to be helpful"

That's awful you would say "I read only trying..."

I'm not sure his other examples help the discussion here. Dear me/ goodness me, don't mean anything other than being mild expressions of surprise.

The rest are using "me" as in the "me, a name I call myself" sense except "me only trying ..." which is why it sounds wrong.

[VintagePerfumista]

oops link fail

david-crystal.blogspot.it/2011/08/on-marley-and-mei.html

[VintagePerfumista]

What's good enough for David Crystal should be good enough for the rest of us, and, of course, for Robert

[http://david-crystal.blogspot.it/2011/08/on-marley-and-mei.html]]

[Blossomdeary]

As someone said upthread: it is better then me if you are not implying "am", when it would be better than I (am.).

[TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross]

According to t'internet there is no one correct version. Both can be argued to be correct for different reasons.

[nennyrainbow]

I would say me. Regardless of which is correct, I sounds contrived.

[BratFarrarsPony]

Could I be the first to point out that in fact in English, there is no national academy that sets in stone what is 'correct' and what is 'incorrect'. For example there is an academy for French , Spanish and German.

Rather than a 'prescriptive' grammar we have a 'descriptive' grammar.

Therefore if enough people start saying 'and me', then it becomes correct.

This is one of the strengths of English as a world language..:) You can make a new verb whenever you like. It is totally flexible.

You will still get some people parroting really dull stuff like 'never split an infinitive' or 'never end a sentence with a preposition. This is rubbish and is a hangover from the days when a bunch of grammarians who had been educated with Latin tried to lay down the law about the language.

[myoriginal3]

So which is the correct version?

[Janek]

this agrees with me...

[Wonderflonium]

The person you are comparing Robert to in the sentence is the object. Robert is the subject, so you have to use "me" to describe yourself.

If you want "I" in that sentence you have to say "I am worse than Robert at blah blah"

You could also (as others have pointed out) make a subclause and say "Robert is better than I am" so you have two subjects in the sentence.

But even educated, well spoken people misspeak. It's normal!

[Janek]

No! The verb is implied:
Better than I (am) at
Better than she (is) at

It sounds wrong/old fashioned, but it is gramatically correct. Colloquially one could say better than me/her, but it is not correct.

There is a rule. It might be 'to be always takes the nominative', but i am not sure (inspector morse said it once...), so you should say 'it is I left holding the baby' not it is me.

This is still the way it is done in german (where lots of our grammar comes from) so besser als ich, not besser als mich.

[callipygiana]

[BratFarrarsPony]

yes...

[callipygiana]

Because of my handy lists?

[BratFarrarsPony]

TEFL = ELT...:) same thing.
ha I guessed right...
me too...

[callipygiana]

TEFL

[BratFarrarsPony]

callipy are you a ELT teacher? :)
Just wondering...

[callipygiana]

Ok, sorry

[callipygiana]

It's only I if it has a verb after it.

"Better than I AM..."