"This is He/She" versus "This is Him/Her"

As long as I can remember, my mother has ingrained it into my head never to use “This is her” when answering the phone or being questioned about my identity. Therefore, whenever I hear someone use the incorrect usage, I want to immediately correct them. This grammatical problem is most often heard when answering the telephone. I believe that it is very important for people to know the correct form so that they are saved embarrassment when talking to a possible employer or other important authority figure. Especially regarding employers, first impressions mean everything and a simple slip up like this could hinder someone’s chances of getting a particular job, especially in the current economy with few job opportunities. Even the simplest of things can have large consequences. I have spoken with employers before who become peeved with grammar slip-ups because these mistakes seem unprofessional. Therefore, I feel the need to post this so that none of us makes this mistake.
As we have learned, pronouns take the place of the noun and there are three different cases of pronouns: nominative, possessive, and objective (1). This particular example refers to pronouns in the nominative case. The nominative case is used for the pronouns I, he, she, we, they, and who (1). These pronouns are used if they re-name the subject (1). The easiest way to understand which form to use is by switching the sentence around, like we discussed in class. For instance, if a sentence says, “The only one invited was she”, it can be flipped around to read, “She was the only one invited.” (1) This is the correct form instead of saying “Her was the only one invited.” Without knowing any grammar rules, it is easy to hear that the statement does not sound correct. Therefore, if you reverse “This is she” it would read, “She is this”. That sounds much better than “Her is this”. In order to avoid using the incorrect pronoun, many people simply say “Speaking”, but it is valuable to know which pronoun to use.
After I heard my roommate use the incorrect form the other day, I went to be annoying and correct her, and she asked me why that was the correct form. I couldn’t adequately explain to her the correct reason other than that my mom was an English teacher so she must know what she is talking about. Now, I know for sure what the correct usage is, and can explain to people why it is incorrect. Hopefully, now, you can too!



Works Cited:

Ellsworth, Blanche and Higgins, John A. English Simplified. New York: Pearson
Education Inc, 2007.

Caroline Adams