english pronoun case (was Re: everybody...their)

[sagehen]

Arnold Zwicky writes:

>one context in which predicative nominatives are especially
>awful is with infinitival "be" form of BE:

 (h) *You wouldn't want to be I.
 (i) *I need to be free to be I.
 (j) *Just be I for a week; then you'll see how hard things are.
 (k) Want to have a better life?  *Just be I.
 (l) When they assigned roles for the play of my young life,
        *Robin made Sandy be I.
        *I watched Sandy be I.
 (m) Q: Who's responsible for this?
     A: *That  would/could/has to   be I.<<
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Since infinitives take the objective case for their subjects, it is logical
for their predicate complements to be objective, too.
A. Murie