The Editor's Manual
Grammar, usage, punctuation, and style resource for editors, writers, and learners of the English language.
“That” introduces information that is essential to meaning and not enclosed in commas. “Which” introduces additional, optional details enclosed in commas. In British usage, it also introduces essential information.
Both “than I” and “than me” are grammatically correct, since “than” can be used as either a preposition or a conjunction. “Than I” is seen more often in formal usage.
“It’s me” and “This is him/her” are generally acceptable in everyday usage. The strictly correct alternatives, “It is I” and “This is he/she,” are confined to highly formal usage.
“I” is a subject pronoun, while “me” is an object pronoun. In formal styles, use “I” in a compound subject and “me” in a compound object. “Me” is generally preferred in comparisons and after the “be” verb.
Pronouns starting with “some” and “any” indicate unspecified things and persons but convey different meanings and points of view in questions, statements, and conditionals.
“No” is more emphatic than “not any” and is used more often in formal contexts. “A/an” instead of “any” is used with singular countable nouns in negative statements. “Not a” and “no” are not interchangeable.
“Some” and “any” both indicate quantity and are used in questions, statements, and conditionals, where they convey different points of view, assumptions, and expectations.
Use “you and I” as the subject and “you and me” as the object in a sentence. Avoid hypercorrection. “You and me” is used more often after the “be” verb and in comparisons.
Names of decades and centuries (the 1800s, the 1970s, the eighties, the ’90s) are generally considered plural but can also be used with singular verbs.
“Any” can be singular or plural, depending on whether you mean “at least one” or “one or more.” It is generally used with uncountable and plural countable nouns in questions and negative statements, though it may be used with a singular countable noun for emphasis.