This Is She or This Is Her? Learn the Correct Grammar & Usage Rules

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Learn when to use "This is she" or "This is her" on the phone
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When someone’s answering the telephone, you might hear them say “This is she” or “This is her”—but which one is grammatically correct? Although “This is she” was considered the grammatically correct choice for a long time, “This is her” has grown in popularity since the 20th century. Eventually, “This is her” was considered to be acceptable, too, especially in informal contexts like talking on the telephone. Keep reading to learn more about this interesting grammar rule.

Things You Should Know

  • You can use either “This is she” or “This is her.” Although “This is she” was grammatically correct for years, “This is her” is also grammatically acceptable.
  • “This is she” was grammatically correct because the verb “to be” is a linking verb, which makes the subject pronouns “this” and “she” interchangeable.
  • “Her” is an object pronoun and can’t be switched with “this,” which is why it was considered incorrect. However, “this is her” is less formal and sounds more natural.
Section 1 of 3:

Should You Use “This is She” or “This is Her?”

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  1. English grammar rules used to say that using "This is she" with subject pronouns was correct. By the early 20th century, grammar rules started to say that using the object pronoun in “This is her,” “This is him,” and “It is me” are also fine, especially when used informally. [1]
    • Today, “This is she,” “It is I,” and other predicate nominatives are considered to be super formal and may not be used as frequently. [2]
    • Informal: “Hi, is this Sydney?”
      “Yes, this is her.”
    • Formal: “Hi, is this Sarah?”
      “Yes, this is she.”
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Section 2 of 3:

“This is She” vs. “This is Her”

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  1. The verb “to be” is a linking verb that joins together the subject and object. Both “she” and “this” are subject pronouns, so the two words are interchangeable (called the predicate nominative). Since you would typically say “She is this,” you can also say “This is she.” [3]
    • This rule gets broken all the time, and both “This is she” and “This is her” are now considered acceptable. The form you choose depends on how formal you’d like to be. [4]
    • “Hi, is this Theresa? Isabella assigned the job to you.”
      “Yes, this is she.”
    • “Were you the one who set up a meeting with the president?”
      “It is I.”
    • “Hello, I’m from First Line Bank. Is this Josh?”
      “This is he.”
    • “Is this Emma and Lara?”
      “Yes, this is we.”
  2. Since “her” is an object pronoun, it can’t be swapped with the subject pronoun “this,” which was why “This is her” was grammatically incorrect. However, in most informal contexts, object pronouns like “her,” “him,” and “us” are not only acceptable but sound more natural. [5]
    • By the early part of the 20th century, grammarians (grammar experts) said that “This is her” and “It is me” were fine to use, especially in informal situations. [6]
    • “Hi, is this Mary?”
      “Yes, this is her.”
    • “Are you the person who stole my shoes?”
      “Yeah, that’s me.”
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Section 3 of 3:

Alternative Phrases

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  1. If you’re not comfortable using “This is she” or “This is her,” there are tons of other ways you can answer the phone when someone asks if they have the right person. You can use “that’s me,” say “Yes, this is [your name],” or just respond with a simple “yes.” [7]
    • “Hi, is this Molly?”
      “Yep, that’s me!”
    • “Are you the one who ordered the pizza?”
      “Yeah, that’s me.”
    • “Is this Joseph and Beth?”
      “Yes, that’s us.”
    • “Hey, is this Jacob?”
      “Speaking.”
    • “Hey! Are you Rachel?”
      “Yeah, I’m Rachel.”
    • “This is Joe from the tire shop next door. Are you Drew?”
      “This is Drew, I’m glad you called!”
    • “Hi, are you Alan from the office?”
      “Yes! How can I help you?”

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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/it-is-i-or-it-is-me-predicate-nominative-usage-guide
      2. ↑ https://www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/it-is-i-vs-its-me/
      3. ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Pronouns/faq0001.html
      4. ↑ https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Pronouns/faq0001.html
      5. ↑ https://editorsmanual.com/articles/it-is-i-or-me/
      6. ↑ https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/it-is-i-or-it-is-me-predicate-nominative-usage-guide
      7. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/How-to-Respond-on-the-Phone

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