This is me or this is i

well i haveing some doubts with all this personal pronouns,the problem is the following ,if ,for instance ,you are answering the phone and somebody picks it up,you ask who is Diane ?for instance,and the person answer "this is she"why is that and not ,this is her?also ,you say "it wasnt me"right ?not it wasnt i.Now im confused with all this,for example if you say who am i ,what whould i answer "this is i or this is me"stupid question but just to put an example,when do i know how to use the objective or sub. in these cases?can anybody give me a good explanation?please

thanks

Someone (not I, alas) once suggested the addition to the English language of a new vocabulary word, "smee", specifically for this purpose. Now that would have solved all the problems!

Rommie

PS. Not EVERYONE says "This is me" or "It is me". Recall that scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, where Arthur approaches the French knights' castle, and in response to the hail "Halt, who goes there", replies with these words:

"It is I, Arthur, King of the Britons"

Powerful words. But now ... imagine that, instead of those words, he had said "It's me, King Arthur". It just wouldn't have worked, would it? "It is I" (and "This is I") have a power and presence which the other form does not have, and should not be thrown away too readily.

What we're saying is that both are "correct" in some sense. "This is I" is correct technically. "This is me" is what the vast, vast majority of people actually say in practice. "This is me" is not technically correct, but it is what most people say in reality.

So ... in an exam, use "This is I". In conversation ... majority opinion is weighted in favor of "This is me".

BUT...

Your example does NOT follow that pattern. In the sentence "This is I who have allergies", the fragment "I who have allergies" is an independent clause. It must be complete in itself, and internally correct. It would be incorrect to say "Me who have allergies", therefore it be incorrect to say "This is me who have allergies" - and I mean really incorrect now, even in spoken English. So in this case, everyone is in agreement - "This is I who have allergies" is correct in all circles.

("Me who has allergies" is also a correct clause, but you're unlikely to hear anyone say that. Generally, people avoid the accusative case it they can get away with doing so).

Rommie

It's correct formally, yes. But then, if you're being formal, you'd probably say "was not" instead of "wasn't". As in: "It was not I". Most people, of course, will just say "It wasn't me".

Though not I.
Rommie

What's wrong with just saying, "Speaking"

Absolutely nothing, but (1) that wasn't the question that was asked, and (2) it's a specific circumstance, one from which you cannot generalize.

If someone asks "Which is correct, A or B", I'm not going to answer "What's wrong with just saying C?". I am happy to agree that "This is I" is formally correct, and to acknowledge that some of us, myself included, use this form as a matter of course. However, it is not the ONLY answer and I believe in answering as completely as possible.

Rommie