She or her

[Same_as_before]

I have a East European lad working with me, his English is easily understood. He asks me all the time to correct him but I use the easy way out and say nothing.

But he will say 'it's she green car' for her green car'.

Or he will say 'it is she'

Does anyone have an easy way of explaining the difference.

 

[samizdat]

If the East European lad says "It is she" then well done to him. Most native English speaking people get that wrong!

 

[Same_as_before]

If the East European lad says "It is she" then well done to him. Most native English speaking people get that wrong!

Me included. I was always told 'whose she, the cats mother'

 

[futureboy]

Me included. I was always told 'whose she, the cats mother'

Since we're talking about correcting others' mistakes...

 

[Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret]

"It is her" is perfectly correct. Same way as Alex Scott saying rowin, shootin and jumpin is correct.

 

[samizdat]

"It is her" is not perfectly correct. The verb to be takes the nominative case. "It is her" is acceptable in commn usage but it is not "perfectly correct".

 

[Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret]

He's talking about common usage. So I would say it's perfectly correct to use it is her. I think the idea that there is a certain set of rules that must be used is a little outdated.

 

[zzzzz]

Wants to be known as 'they, them'
Oh well.

 

[samizdat]

My original reply to the O.P was to point out that the East European lad was not wrong when he said "It is she". I am not attacking common usage, just defending the poor lad when he happened to get it right.