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comparative comparison. than i or than me?

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comparative comparison. than i or than me?

by jameschanx » Sat Mar 16, 2013 8:29 am
1) He is taller than I am
2) He is taller than me

(2) seems to be correct in my opinion.

However, here is what Manhattan says:

You are MORE INTERESTING than he (correct)


In both examples, tall and interesting are adjective, but one has the item being compared as a subject, the other has it has an object.

Please someone help! in what cases should we use object, and in what cases should we use subject?

Thanks
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by GMATGuruNY » Sat Mar 16, 2013 9:49 am
jameschanx wrote:1) He is taller than I am
2) He is taller than me

(2) seems to be correct in my opinion.
ELLIPSIS is the omission of words whose presence is understood.
Many comparisons employ ellipsis.
The sentence above is comparing how HE IS TALL to how I AM TALL:
He is taller than I am tall.
In the interest of concision, we may omit tall from the second clause:
He is taller than I am.
To use me in the second clause would imply the following:
He is taller than me is tall.
Clearly not correct.
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by jameschanx » Sat Mar 16, 2013 5:31 pm
Guru, thanks for the reply. Could you give me some examples in which the items being compared are objects?
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by GMATGuruNY » Sun Mar 17, 2013 3:39 am
jameschanx wrote:Guru, thanks for the reply. Could you give me some examples in which the items being compared are objects?
John eats more broccoli than spinach.
Conveyed meaning:
John eats more broccoli than [John eats] spinach.
The words in brackets are omitted, but their presence is understood.
Here, the DIRECT OBJECTS of eats -- broccoli and spinach -- are being compared.

You like John more than me.
Conveyed meaning:
You like John more than [you like] me.
The words in brackets are omitted, but their presence is understood.
The following sentence compares HOW YOU LIKE JOHN to HOW I LIKE JOHN:
You like John more than I.
Conveyed meaning:
You like John more than I [like John].
Again, the words in brackets are omitted, but their presence is understood.
Note that replacing me with I changes the meaning.
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by jameschanx » Sun Mar 17, 2013 7:22 am
super clear. Thanks again!
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