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Praetorian
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 01:14
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No one but him could have told them that the king was I.
(a)
(b) he could have told them that the king was me.
(c) him could have told them the king was me.
(d) he could have told them that the king was I.

explain please

thanks
praetorian



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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 02:54
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stolyar
A is the best.
TO BE requires pronoun I.
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what about he or HIM ?

why would you pick one over the other.

thanks
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stolyar
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 03:01
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intuition... :bebe
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Praetorian
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 03:22
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stolyar
intuition... :bebe
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thanks !

that was very helpful :(
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 04:07
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stolyar
intuition... :bebe

thanks !

that was very helpful :(
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Intuition is not a good guide when dealing with ENGLISH, especially since "spoken" english has much looser rules than formal written English (which the GMAT is testing):

Formally, the first pronoun should be "he" because it is the subject of the sentence. Hence, use the subjective form "he", not "him." ("No one but" is simply an adjective phrase equivalent to "only").

The second pronoun is linked to the subject of the clause "the king" via the linking verb "was" and refers back to it. This is formally known as a "predicate nomitive". Since the pronoun is directly linked to the subject of the linking verbs, it too uses the subjective form. Examples: It is I. It is she that should be the nominee, not I. It was she who surprised the teacher. Note: since the verb simply links the subject and the pronoun (or two pronouns), they can often be exchanged.

Try rewriting the sentence and you will see it more clearly:

"Only he could have told them that I was the king."
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 01 Dec 2003, 13:01
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praetorian123
stolyar
intuition... :bebe

thanks !

that was very helpful :(

Intuition is not a good guide when dealing with ENGLISH, especially since "spoken" english has much looser rules than formal written English (which the GMAT is testing):

Formally, the first pronoun should be "he" because it is the subject of the sentence. Hence, use the subjective form "he", not "him." ("No one but" is simply an adjective phrase equivalent to "only").

The second pronoun is linked to the subject of the clause "the king" via the linking verb "was" and refers back to it. This is formally known as a "predicate nomitive". Since the pronoun is directly linked to the subject of the linking verbs, it too uses the subjective form. Examples: It is I. It is she that should be the nominee, not I. It was she who surprised the teacher. Note: since the verb simply links the subject and the pronoun (or two pronouns), they can often be exchanged.

Try rewriting the sentence and you will see it more clearly:

"Only he could have told them that I was the king."
Show more


Thanks for the detailed explanation.

Praetorian
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 21 Dec 2010, 12:16
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AkamaiBrah
praetorian123
stolyar
intuition... :bebe

thanks !

that was very helpful :(

Intuition is not a good guide when dealing with ENGLISH, especially since "spoken" english has much looser rules than formal written English (which the GMAT is testing):

Formally, the first pronoun should be "he" because it is the subject of the sentence. Hence, use the subjective form "he", not "him." ("No one but" is simply an adjective phrase equivalent to "only").

The second pronoun is linked to the subject of the clause "the king" via the linking verb "was" and refers back to it. This is formally known as a "predicate nomitive". Since the pronoun is directly linked to the subject of the linking verbs, it too uses the subjective form. Examples: It is I. It is she that should be the nominee, not I. It was she who surprised the teacher. Note: since the verb simply links the subject and the pronoun (or two pronouns), they can often be exchanged.

Try rewriting the sentence and you will see it more clearly:

"Only he could have told them that I was the king."
Show more


Well Explained... :) thnks...
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tirupatibalaji
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No one but him could have told them that the king was 29 Dec 2010, 05:31
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Good 1. thanks for explanation.



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Hi there,
This topic has been closed and archived due to inactivity or violation of community quality standards. No more replies are possible here.
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Still interested in this question? Check out the "Best Topics" block above for a better discussion on this exact question, as well as several more related questions.
Thank you for understanding, and happy exploring!
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