People use a lot of expressions all the time, but they get confused about whether they are saying things the right way or not.
Two of the most grammatically-baffling phrases to date are “this is she” and “this is her” – wherein both may or may not sound right to the native ears.
If you’re also confused and want to know which one is the better choice, please stick around ‘til the end of this post.
Which is correct: “this is she” or “this is her”?
“This is she” is more grammatically accurate than “This is her.” “This is she” is used in more formal contexts than “This is her,” such as when dealing with language proficiency exams in academic and business settings. In less formal situations, “This is her” is meanwhile an acceptable alternative.
“This is she” vs. “This is her”: Grammar in ample detail
As language is inherently ambiguous, it is natural to have lots of confusing expressions within any language.
At a word or lexical level, for instance, the conjunctions “though” and “although” may bother many non-native speakers of English.
Meanwhile, the expressions “me either” and “me neither” are also a bit problematic at a phrasal level, which is, again, a typical case.
At a clausal level, “this is she” and “this is her” are two tricky responses that we hear all the time, especially in telephone conversations.
Both expressions are used to respond when someone attempts to confirm the name of the speaker on the other line.
But, which one do most people consider as “more grammatically correct”? And, should we even say that one or the other is “grammatically wrong”?
Let us find out more below.
The grammar behind “This is she”
To put things more simply, “This is she” is another way of saying “She is this” – this argument makes “This is she” the more “correct” from the view of traditional grammar.
This is possible because we are looking at the latter usage of “she” as the predicate nominative case or in easier terms “predicate nouns.”
Predicate nouns are also otherwise known as one way to use “subject complements” because adjectives can be complements too.
When we make use of subject complements, it means that the word that comes after the linking or copulative verb simply aims to “rename” or “redefine” the subject.
For example, the word “songwriter” is used to rename the subject below, and thus, a subject complement:
Example:
Whereas, “creative” is used to redefine the subject in the next example:
Example:
In other words, “she” in This is she” is not used as the object of the verb or the receiver of the action – this is prompted by the fact that “is” is meanwhile not an action verb.
According to grammar studies, a subject complement can be a word or set of words that act either as a noun or adjective in the sentence.
Nouns are used to rename subjects, while adjectives are used to redefine them. Collectively, in more technical terms, subject complements are called predicate nominatives.
Predicate nominatives can only come after linking verbs and not action verbs. This means that they are signaled by verbs like “to be” and “to become.”
Pronouns are considered subclasses of nouns, and their main role is to replace nouns in sentences for more practical, referential reasons.
“She” is a subject pronoun, and therefore, it can fall into the noun category that can be used as a subject complement.
From this perspective, we can see that “This is she” is a more grammatically formal version of the response we are looking for.
Example:
B: Yes, this is she.
The same is true with these other related examples:
Example:
A: Hello. Good afternoon. Frederick Samson?
B: Uh, yes. This is he.
(correct)
A: Hi. Is this Mr. Tobbias Reese?
B: No. Sorry. This isn’t he.
(correct)
A: Hi. Is this Doctor Palmer?
B: This isn’t she. I think you got the wrong number.
Always remember that when in doubt, the default affirmative expression is “This is she” and not “This is her.” Whereas, the default negative expression is “This is not she.”
The grammar behind “This is her”
“This is her” is not entirely wrong. However, when we talk about grammatical correctness and convention, “This is her” is less frequently used than “This is she.”
What this implies is that although “This is her” may not necessarily take on a rule-based approach, it is still a widely-used expression.
More particularly, “This is her” is a more convenient alternative to “This is she.”
For as long as it is not used excessively and in the wrong context, “This is her” works fine in real life.
Going back to the idea behind subject complements, which can either be nouns or adjectives, using “her” instead of “she” would be less reasonable.
“Her” can be used either as an object pronoun or possessive determiner. It is an object pronoun when it is used either as the direct or indirect object of the verb.
A direct object is a person, thing, or any other entity that receives an action. Meanwhile, an indirect object is an entity affected by an action, such as in the next examples:
Example:
Please give her my number.
(indirect object)
Please give my number to her.
While the situation with “This is her” is quite tricky, we can actually make more sense of today’s concern by flipping the sentence:
Example:
This is her.
(reversed)
Her is this.
As you may figure, the sentence above does not work if we take grammatical correctness into account. Nevertheless, flipping “This is she” does.
Example:
This is she.
(reversed)
She is this.
But then again, language is dynamic and language users would still make use of any pattern that does not necessarily hurt the “implied meaning.”
This simply suggests that “This is her” is still a possible and even more convenient choice than “This is she.”
When in doubt, the default rule is to make use of “This is she” in formal situations and “This is her” in relatively less formal ones.
If you want to take things further, try to also discover the even trickier differences between “What does it mean?” vs. “What does that mean?” to brush up on your English proficiency.
“This is she”: Choosing the formal way
The idea that “context matters” is also a great way to solve today’s issues. Put simply, we have to consider the situation in which language is applied to decide better.
In particular, choosing “This is she” may happen in formal settings like schools or workplaces, such as when answering exams.
“Work a job” vs. “do a job” is also a pair of related expressions that would need some thinking, especially in formal contexts. So, feel free to read on this topic when you have the time.
If you are applying for an English language teacher role in an academic institution, you had also better choose “This is she” instead of “This is her.”
When not necessarily used in spoken but rather in written contexts, the following sentences using the same pattern should also be considered:
Examples:
The perpetrator was she.
(incorrect)
The perpetrator was her.
Remember that reversing the sentences above would lead to the following grammatically correct and incorrect constructions:
Examples:
She was the perpetrator.
(incorrect)
Her was the perpetrator.
“This is her”: Choosing the informal way
When speaking routinely by phone, and as long as your reputation in your field does not get tainted by choosing to “talk informally,” feel free to use “This is her.”
Using “This is her” rather than “This is she” would be wiser, for example, when picking up a call from your closest friends and family members.
Example:
B: Uh-huh. This is her. How’d you get my number?
In contexts where humorous language use applies, “This is her” can also be conveniently used instead of “This is she.”
“This is she, speaking” vs. “This is her, speaking”
Remember that“This is she, speaking” and “This is her, speaking” are both possible responses when someone tries to confirm her identity over the phone.
If you want to sound more formal, however, the better choice is “This is she, speaking.” If not, then “This is her, speaking” is also fine.
When these two responses don’t seem to work, try the better and less confusing shorthand response “Speaking” instead.
Another better alternative that would work is to use this pattern: “Yes. This is [name], speaking.” You may also get rid of the word “speaking” for convenience.
For negative responses, you can say “This is not she” or “This is not her” as default expressions, but never say “I am not she” and “I am not her” at all.
Frequently Asked Questions on “‘This is she’ vs ‘This is her’”
What does “This is she” mean?
In standard English, “This is she” is a formal response used when confirming one’s identity. Using this response mostly happens over the phone when someone tries to ask whether he or she is talking to the right female person.
What does “This is her” mean?
“This is her” is a modern, more convenient alternative to “This is she.” This is a response almost as widely used as “This is she” at present. Using “This is her” applies when confirming one’s identity in telephone conversations.
Should we say “Is this her?” or “Is this she?”
While “Is this her?” is a considerable question form in real life, “Is this she?” is the more grammatically precise question. This simply means that “Is this she?” is the better choice when talking more formally.
Conclusion
As tricky as it may seem, having the urge to discover the myths behind expressions like “This is she” and “This is her” is a result of language change.
We, humans, try to tweak language use for different reasons, and that is okay. Hope today’s post has made things a bit clearer!
Hey fellow Linguaholics! It’s me, Marcel. I am the proud owner of linguaholic.com. Languages have always been my passion and I have studied Linguistics, Computational Linguistics and Sinology at the University of Zurich. It is my utmost pleasure to share with all of you guys what I know about languages and linguistics in general.