Last visit was: 10 Jul 2025, 11:11 It is currently 10 Jul 2025, 11:11
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
avatar
sudh
Joined: 15 May 2014
Last visit: 18 Jun 2021
Posts: 59
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 11
Posts: 59
Kudos: 149
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,344
 [1]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,344
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,344
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
User avatar
kanigmat011
Joined: 27 Jul 2014
Last visit: 26 Dec 2019
Posts: 197
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 15
Schools: ISB '15
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
GPA: 3.76
Products:
Schools: ISB '15
GMAT 1: 660 Q49 V30
Posts: 197
Kudos: 377
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
HI daagh

I have doubt regarding exceptions in the case of pronoun usage


I read here in the previous pots that But, Except ,as ,than etc always are followed by objective case pronoun

And according to this rule this particular question makes sense.

But I have couple of examples where this concept/rule fails

Ruby is tall, but she isn’t as tall as I
We aren't sure who's driving, but it might be she
Here she follows after but and I follows after as both being subjective.

Kindly clarify is this a valid rule/concept

If not whats the valid concept

Thanks
Kani
avatar
sudh
Joined: 15 May 2014
Last visit: 18 Jun 2021
Posts: 59
Own Kudos:
149
 [1]
Given Kudos: 11
Posts: 59
Kudos: 149
 [1]
Kudos
Add Kudos
1
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Kani

Since you're a stickler for rules, the following are comprehensive lessons on pronouns,
which I happened to found in the book "When Bad Grammar Happens to Good People"

(1) Use the subjective case when…
Rule #1a: The pronoun is the subject of the verb.
e.g.: I, we, you, he, she, it, they ran away.
Rule #1b: The pronoun follows a finite form of the verb “to be”
(any form of “to be” except the infinitive form with the
“to” in front of it).

e.g.: They believed that the thief was I, you, he, she.
They believed that the thieves were we, you, they.

(2) Use the objective case when…
Rule #2a: The pronoun is the object of a verb.
e.g.: The search team found me, him, her, it, us, you, them.
Rule #2b: The pronoun is the indirect object of a verb.
e.g.: Bob gave me, him, her, us, you, them all the zucchini
in his garden.
Rule #2c: The pronoun is the subject of an infinitive.
e.g. The boss told me, him, her, us, you, them to do it.
Rule #2d: The pronoun is the object of an infinitive.
e.g.: The judge wanted to believe me, him, her, it, us, you, them.
Rule #2e: The pronoun is the object of a preposition.
e.g.: Put the blanket over me, you, him, her, it, us, them.

(3) Use the possessive case when…
Rule #3a: The pronoun itself is being used to indicate possession.
e.g.: My, your, her, his, our, their toaster.

Moreover, You assumed that every word in English would've only one function or use.
i.e. every word belongs to one class of Parts of Speech (there are eight of them).
For instance, you thought the word "but" is a preposition, but in the examples you cited "but" acts a conjunction.
Also, the word "as" acts a subordinating conjunction by introducing the basis of comparison.

To know more about how the same word can be used as different parts of speech,
please buy a good grammar and learn the basics.

kanigmat011
Ruby is tall, but she isn’t as tall as I
We aren't sure who's driving, but it might be she
User avatar
chetan2u
User avatar
GMAT Expert
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Last visit: 10 Jul 2025
Posts: 11,295
Own Kudos:
41,662
 [4]
Given Kudos: 333
Status:Math and DI Expert
Products:
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 11,295
Kudos: 41,662
 [4]
2
Kudos
Add Kudos
2
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
gmatser1
kanigmat011
No one but him could have told them that the thief was I.

(a) him could have told them that the thief was I.
(b) he could have told them that the thief was I.
(c) he could have told them that the thief was me.
(d) him could have told them that the thief was me.
(e) he could have told them the thief was me.

I thought it was D. I don't like this question. OA?

Hi,
in very simple terms, whenever in confusion about I/he/ or his/him/me, use who/whom/whose...
if who fits in, answer will be I/He/She etc..
If whom fits in answer will be him/me/her etc..
lets see here..
No one but who could have told them that the thief was who...
or No one but whom could have told them that the thief was whom...

which is correct..
No one but who could have told them that the thief was who...
so the answer will be No one but he could have told them that the thief was I...

Remember in normal spoken english we may just easily say 'thief was me" but its not correct
avatar
Yash26
Joined: 02 Nov 2015
Last visit: 07 Oct 2016
Posts: 14
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 9
Posts: 14
Kudos: 10
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
For such questions I practice a simple method- ask your self questions?

Who could say? Of course you will say- "he could say" or if the questions is "Who has done this?- of course you will say "he has done this/that?

So, try to imagine this sentence as- " I know that I (not me) am the thief and only he (not him) could say/know that".

Also, try saying " me was the thief" & "I was the thief"? Which one of them sounds better? of course the second sounds better and first makes almost no sense. I have noticed that apart from grammar logic these questions can also be solved with the help of asking yourself few questions.



Regards
Yash
User avatar
Rajeet123
Joined: 15 Aug 2017
Last visit: 06 Apr 2024
Posts: 40
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 277
Location: India
Schools: HBS '22
Schools: HBS '22
Posts: 40
Kudos: 9
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
summer101
No one but him could have told them that the thief was I


A. him could have told them that the thief was I

B. he could have told them that the thief was I

C. he could have told them that the thief was me

D. him could have told them that the thief was me

E. he could have told them the thief was me

Hey GMATNinja can you please take this one? Is the OA right?
User avatar
azhrhasan
Joined: 13 Apr 2019
Last visit: 13 Sep 2024
Posts: 122
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 93
Location: Canada
Concentration: Marketing, Operations
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
GPA: 3.5
WE:General Management (Retail: E-commerce)
Products:
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
Posts: 122
Kudos: 164
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
daagh
No one but him could have told them that the thief was I.

The first pronoun --- he or him?:
‘No one’ is joined with ‘him’ by a ‘but’, a coordinating conjunction. ‘But’ is supposed to join equal things. ‘No one’ is a subject pronoun and hence, we need a subject pronoun again. ‘Him’ is an object pronoun, unsuitable for the context, hence, no one but he is the correct version.

Second pronoun: I or me?: That introduces a subordinate clause and its subject is the thief.

Exchange the subject ‘thief’ with ‘me’ and ‘I’ individually. The two sentences are 1. That ‘me’ was the thief and 2. ‘I’ was the thief. One can see that me was the thief does not fit in. I was the thief is better. So the thief was I is the correct expression.

B is the correct answer.

Hi daagh

You mention that : "hence, no one but he" is the correct version but you chose B for an answer

Furthermore, In the second part of the sentence, shouldn't "Me" , the object pronoun of "I", be more appropriate as the usage is as an object.

thanks
User avatar
daagh
User avatar
Major Poster
Joined: 19 Feb 2007
Last visit: 16 Oct 2020
Posts: 5,264
Own Kudos:
42,344
 [1]
Given Kudos: 422
Status: enjoying
Location: India
WE:Education (Education)
Expert
Expert reply
Posts: 5,264
Kudos: 42,344
 [1]
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Azhr

Quote:
No one but him could have told them that the thief was I


A. him could have told them that the thief was I

B. he could have told them that the thief was I

C. he could have told them that the thief was me

D. him could have told them that the thief was me

E. he could have told them the thief was me

Quote:
My earlier response

Second pronoun: I or me? That introduces a subordinate clause and its subject is the thief.

Exchange the subject ‘thief’ with ‘me’ and ‘I’ individually. The two sentences are one. That ‘me’ was the thief and two. ‘I’ was the thief. One can see that me was the thief does not fit in. I was the thief is better. Therefore, the thief was I am the correct expression.

B is the correct answer.


Quote:
My current correction

Yes, I agree. I have mixed up the second pronoun. Actually, 'the thief' is the subject. However, I wrongly described 'I" as the object. This is a mix up. It should be really "the thief was me" and not "the thief was I". The object pronoun 'me' is the better one.

Therefore, the correct choice is either C or E. However, I cannot see any great impact of dropping the connector 'that'. I will take the dropping as perfectly grammatical.

Quote:
User avatar
azhrhasan
Joined: 13 Apr 2019
Last visit: 13 Sep 2024
Posts: 122
Own Kudos:
Given Kudos: 93
Location: Canada
Concentration: Marketing, Operations
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
GPA: 3.5
WE:General Management (Retail: E-commerce)
Products:
GMAT 1: 690 Q49 V35
Posts: 122
Kudos: 164
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
daagh
Azhr

Quote:
No one but him could have told them that the thief was I


A. him could have told them that the thief was I

B. he could have told them that the thief was I

C. he could have told them that the thief was me

D. him could have told them that the thief was me

E. he could have told them the thief was me

Quote:
My earlier response

Second pronoun: I or me? That introduces a subordinate clause and its subject is the thief.

Exchange the subject ‘thief’ with ‘me’ and ‘I’ individually. The two sentences are one. That ‘me’ was the thief and two. ‘I’ was the thief. One can see that me was the thief does not fit in. I was the thief is better. Therefore, the thief was I am the correct expression.

B is the correct answer.


Quote:
My current correction

Yes, I agree. I have mixed up the second pronoun. Actually, 'the thief' is the subject. However, I wrongly described 'I" as the object. This is a mix up. It should be really "the thief was me" and not "the thief was I". The object pronoun 'me' is the better one.

Therefore, the correct choice is either C or E. However, I cannot see any great impact of dropping the connector 'that'. I will take the dropping as perfectly grammatical.

Quote:

pretty clear. thanks
User avatar
VerbalBot
User avatar
Non-Human User
Joined: 01 Oct 2013
Last visit: 04 Jan 2021
Posts: 18,442
Own Kudos:
Posts: 18,442
Kudos: 953
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.
   1   2 
Moderators:
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7349 posts
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
235 posts