How would u say the following?

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Ticce  #415401  Fri, 07 Sep 07 10:48 AM

Correct me on the following, please. We say

This is a cat, isn't it?

But how to say

This is him (he), isn't it?

or

This is him (he), isn't it he (him)?

Plus

These are they, aren't the?

or

This is them, isn't it them?

What is the right option?

  
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English is not my first langauge - so, I might give your a wrong answer. To err is human.
Kooyeen  #415482  Fri, 07 Sep 07 01:33 PM
Hi,
I would say:

This is him, isn't he?
These are them, aren't they?

Smile [:)]

  
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CalifJim  #415574  Fri, 07 Sep 07 06:19 PM
This is a cat, isn't it?
This is him, isn't it?  / He's the one, isn't he?
This is it, isn't it?  /  This is the one, isn't it?
This is them, isn't it? / They're the ones, aren't they?
These are the ones, aren't they?

CJ

  
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Kooyeen  #415603  Fri, 07 Sep 07 08:05 PM
Whoa! I really didn't know that! You always say "isn't it"... and "this is" even if the pronoun is plural.

This is them, isn't it?

Is it really odd to say "This is him, isn't he?" Thanks Smile [:)]
  
ScratchThat  #415627  Fri, 07 Sep 07 08:40 PM
These endings come very natural to me as a native English speaker, but they must be hell for those who are learning English.  I spit out "...haven't they?", "...aren't we"?, "...doesn't he?" effortlessly.

In the sentence you provide:

"This is them, isn't it them?"

I assume that "this" (the subject of the sentence) refers to a group of people.  "This" is singular, so the correct way to say it would be:

"This is them, isn't it?"

Though that's not totally correct, since "is" is a linking verb and thus the object must be a subject pronoun.  Hence, the real, grammatically-correct rewrite would be:

"This is they, isn't it?"

But that sounds weird, even though it's correct and what we are taught in school.

All that said, I wouldn't be surprised if lots of English speakers would substitute "...right?" at times when the alternate phrase is overly complex.

"That's them, right?"



  
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WesternAmerican  #415644  Fri, 07 Sep 07 09:39 PM
How would you say the following, not u.
  
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I will REALLY appreciate any corrections to my posts, whether it be grammar, glossary, or just something that could elevate my style. Thank you.
CalifJim  #415646  Fri, 07 Sep 07 09:48 PM
Is it really odd to say "This is him, isn't he?"
Yes!

Come on, Kooyeen!

The tag has to question the subject, not the complement.
Within the tag the subject is pronomialized to become he, she, it, or they.  The pronomial form of this or that is it.  The pronomial form of these or those is they.

So for This is him you have This is him, isn't it?

CJ

  
Kooyeen  #415652  Fri, 07 Sep 07 10:01 PM
Ah, ok, I see. Thanks!
Another thing that I noticed was that "this" instead of "these" when the pronoun was plural ---> This is them.
I think it's related to the fact native speakers say "This is Mary and Jenny" and not "These are Mary and Jenny". Interesting... Smile [:)]

  
CalifJim  #415660  Fri, 07 Sep 07 10:13 PM
The native speaker's brain is probably thinking: 
This ( [thing / group / pair / couple] that appears before [me / us] ) is ...

CJ

  
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