Comments on: How Will We Solve The Financial Crisis? The Answer Is Bigger Than You And I

By: re: The Auditors » Blog Archive » Not To Be Twistin’ Hay… Auditors Mucking It Up In Ireland

Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:32:35 +0000

[...] How do you propose we fix that? [...]

By: re: The Auditors » Blog Archive » McKenna Quoted in Business Week re: Lehman and Valukas

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:18:24 +0000

[...] sounds something like my suggestion in January of 2009 for a National Service Corp for Accountability and Transparency – a way to put all of the currently in-transition accounting, audit and forensic specialists [...]

By: Dear Dear

Dear Dear — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:12:28 +0000

I am surprised at the vehement debate regarding you, I and than. FM, I think it would be best to have one word blog titles.Make sure you use appropriate capitalization…thankfully I do not believe you would need any punctuation! Better, yet just number them!!

I thought this was an accounting blog, as long as she is not using horrendous grammar, I say move on! Either you had a bad day, or you are just in the mood to tear someone down. This is absurd!

Nice post FM!

By: re: The Auditors » Blog Archive » Hey Big 4! If I Were You, Here’s What I’d Do (Instead…)

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:05:13 +0000

[...] government control of audits of companies taxpayers are significantly invested in, utilizing a Service Corp for Accountability and Transparency made up of the professionals the firms are irresponsibly [...]

By: re: The Auditors » Blog Archive » If The President Does It, It’s Not Illegal…

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 18:11:47 +0000

[...] too. Dear Francine, I guess the US audit profession just isn’t getting your message regarding the current audit crisis and the change that is needed at the very top levels…to better protect the public interest that you have documented in detail on February 9, 2009. [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:46:00 +0000

The problem with that logic is that you are inserting an implied verb at the end of the sentence, which you can’t do. What is to say that “am” is the right verb to insert? Why not “thought”? or “imagined”? or “remembered”? All of them change the context of the sentence.

The problem with “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I” is that it leaves the reader hanging. It is an incomplete sentence. Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I… what? If you wish to convey that he is bigger than you are, than say “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I am” (than is a conjunction here), or “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than me” (than is a preposition here).

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 20:28:00 +0000

Yes, when speaking I would use “me” since it’s just easier to say, sounds less pretentious, and most people use it in every day spoken language. I’d also probably use me if I were blogging (blogging is informal in my opinion). But, that doesn’t make it correct. When formally (grammatically correct), “I” is appropriate.

I think everyone can agree that we use “I” when it is the subject of a sentence/phrase and “we” when it is the object. So, which is it?

This is a debate that has been in existence for many years now. The answer lies in how you classify the word “than”. You can classify “than” as either a conjunction or a preposition. Conjunctions require a subject use and prepositions require an object use. See this article for a nice description of this mess: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/than-I-versus-than-me.aspx

Let’s use your example. “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I” is correct. Think of it this way: “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I (am)”. I is the subject of the second part of this sentence “I (am)”. One would never say “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than me am”, would they?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 14:37:00 +0000

So it would be appropriate to say, “Shaquille O’Neal is bigger than I”?

You would normally say that sentence that way?

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 03:45:00 +0000

I is the subject form. Me is the object. You and I is correct.

By: Chicago Accountant

Chicago Accountant — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:47:00 +0000

Anon @ 11:33:00 AM...

[slow clap to full applause]

Very good points.

Oversight for the Better...

My point is not that all government workers are inept. There are very competent people in government. However, people usually don't go into government to make money (less people like the Illinois Governor). I would not mind doing some public service now or in the future. I am always open to that and would take a pay cut for it. I just don't want my hand forced.

While I am on Gov. Blago, corruption isn't limited to Corporate America. You can have a bad audit partner and you can have a bad government audit director. Government is not the solution to every problem.