Merriam-Webster - "It is I" vs. "It's me" lyrics

Welcome to Ask the Editor. I'm Kory Stamper, an Associate Editor at Merriam-Webster. There is something about working for a dictionary that makes you second-guess everything you know about your native language. For instance, when I answer the phone and someone asks, “Is this Kory?,” how do I respond?—“This is she” or “This is her”? I was taught to say “This is she,” because of something called “the predicate nominative.” The predicate nominative is a noun or pronoun that's on the object end of a linking verb. That's a kind of verb that links a sentence's subject to an adjective, noun, or pronoun that describes or identifies that subject. We use the predicate nominative without a hitch all the time—“The lake was a frozen pool,” or “He is Bob”—because most predicate nominatives are identical in their subject and object cases. But we're not so confident when the predicate nominative involves a personal pronoun, because those have very different subject and object cases. “I” and “he” are subject cases, and “me” and “him” are object cases. And there's a rule that says that the predicate nominative should use the subject case even though it's in the object position. So grammarians tell you to say “It is I” (subject case) instead of “It's me” (object case). But this rule was based on Latin grammar, not English grammar. In fact, calling for the subject case in the object position goes against the natural grammar of English. And that's why “It's me” and “That's her” sound fine to our ears. At this point, the rule is fully established, so the choice between “It's me” and “It is I” is one of style. Are you writing formal dialogue or any formal setting? Then use “It is I.” But in everyday use, you can use “It's me” with impunity. So, what does this mean when I answer the phone? I can say either “This is she” or “This is her”—there is a case to be made for either one. But maybe it would be safer to just answer with “Speaking.” For more episodes of Ask the Editor, click on the “Video” tab at merriam-webster.com.