"He" or "him" in these kind of sentences

Question

While pointing at someone

That's him swimming.

or

That' he swimming.

Related:I didn't realise it was him/he. – Tim Lymington Jul 03 '15 at 21:15 — Tim Lymington, Jul 03 '15 at 21:15

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 03 '15 at 14:15

0

"That's him swimming" is the only form I've heard in my life in any of the varieties of English I've heard.

I've never heard "that's he swimming" in any situation.

answered Jul 03 '15 at 14:15

Karasinsky

669

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jul 03 '15 at 17:18

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"That is him swimming." can be thought of as an abbreviated form of:

"That is whom you can observe swimming." where 'whom' is the object of 'observe'.

The participle 'swimming' cannot take a subject, e.g.

I see he swimming. (incorrect)

I see him swimming. (correct)

answered Jul 03 '15 at 17:18

chasly - supports Monica

37,215

I suppose some might say "That is he swimming." can be thought of as an abbreviated form of: [John?] "That is he – swimming." – Edwin Ashworth Nov 03 '16 at 19:57

score -1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 03 '15 at 14:49

According to Geoffrey Pullum, co-author of The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language:

The forms with nominative pronouns sound ridiculously stuffy today. In present-day English, the copular verb takes accusative pronoun complements and so does “than.” My advice would be this: If someone knocks at your door, and you say “Who’s there?” and what you hear in response is “It is I,” don’t let them in. It’s no one you want to know. [Link to Source]

As this implies, there do remain people who use the predicate nominative in English, since Professor Pullum’s inverse snobbery is fortunately not lethal.

An established user like yourself should not be answering such blatantly unresearched (and therefore off-topic) questions. — curiousdannii, Jul 03 '15 at 23:44

"He" or "him" in these kind of sentences

3 Answers3