Hi!
I've had this question for some time and today, after finding the same mistake (or what I think is a mistake) in a book for the umpteenth time, I decided to ask for your help.
I'm not a native speaker. I learnt English at school and all of my teachers (and all of my grammar books) taught me that, when using a comparative adjective, after "than" goes an objective pronoun, not a subjective one.
E.g. He's taller than her = right
E.g. He's taller than she = wrong
But it's correct to say:
He's taller than she is.
That's the rule as I know it. However, in each and every book I've read so far, I found something like:
"He had more to prove than they."
I should probably point out that these books are mosty written by American authors, and have all been published in the last fifteen to twenty years. I don't remember ever finding this "mistake" in Austen or Dickens.
I'd really like to know if this is a new rule or if it's still correct to use comparatives the way I learnt. Links to articles about grammar would be welcome, if you know any.
Thank you!
