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So Ric, what is the rule regarding these pronouns from 1 Corinthians 15:11 (ESV)? "Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed." I would have refexively written, "it was me and them."
Here's the verse again: "Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed” (1 Corinthians 15:11, ESV). First, the verse is correct in using “I” and “they.” Here's a couple of rules that you can use in the future that will help you determine which pronouns to use. Rule One The predicate nominative (also called the subject complement) is a noun or pronoun that follows a linking verb and describes or renames the subject, and it does so in the subjective case. So, the subject in this sentence is “it.” The linking verb is “was.” So, the predicate nominative (i.e., the pronoun) that follows must also be in the subjective case. Both “I” and “they” are in the subjective case. Both “me” and “them” are in the objective case. Here's how the construction looks:
Or, if you prefer the term "subject complement" . . .
You always use the subjective case for subjects and subject complements. The subject of a sentence names who or what the sentence is about (or who is doing the action). And, a subject complement--which always follows a linking verb--completes the meaning of the subject by renaming or describing it. But, and this is the key, subject complements following the linking verb are always in the subjective case. Since “me” and “they” are both in the objective case, they would never be used in this construction as predicate nominatives (or subject complements). So, a recap of Rule # 1: If a pronoun serves as a predicate nominative after a linking verb, it must also be in subjective case (I, he, she, they, we). Rule Two The person or thing doing the action must always be in the subjective case. Let's look at this verse again: “Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” So, who did the preaching?
So, a recap of Rule # 2: Restructure the sentence to find the action, and then substitute the pronouns in question to see if they work properly or not. We hear the wrong so long, we think it's right. Example: A friend picked me up at the airport and was helping me with my luggage. He pointed to my luggage and asked, Notice that the “them” is in the objective case. But, the “are” is a linking verb, and “those” is the subject. If I had been correct in my grammar, I would have had to stay in the subjective case. I should have said, “Yes, those are they.” But, that's not how we normally talk. On a cop show, a woman had to identify her dead son. The cop pulled the sheet back and asked the mother, “Is this your son?” And, the woman said, “Yes, that's him.” It used to be when I answered the phone and the person asked, “Is Rick there?” I would say, “This is him.” Now, why is that incorrect? “This” is the subject. So, nowadays, I answer the question with, “This is he.” That was a terrific question!
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