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it was her vs it was she

Both are correct, but they're used in different contexts. 'It was her' is more commonly used in informal English, while 'it was she' is considered more formal or old-fashioned. The choice between the two phrases depends on the level of formality you want to convey.

Explained by Miss E.
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: July 22, 2024 • 36953 views

it was her

This phrase is correct and commonly used in informal English.

This phrase is used when 'her' is the object of the verb 'was'. It is more commonly used in informal contexts.

Examples:

It was her who called you last night.
I think it was her at the door.
It was her that I saw at the party.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 25, 2024

Jul 17, 2018 ... You are more likely to hear "It was her who lied to me," in which "her" is the disjunctive/emphatic pronoun1. In an exam, write "It was she ...
Feb 2, 2023 ... “Maybe it was ego swinging, maybe it was her.” ... Who is the girl that Taylor is referencing in these lyrics in “The Great War?” Taylor has ...
Helen Keller and Me – Why it was “her doomed love life that really made me identify”. October 28, 2021 | Kathi Wolfe. I've been legally blind since birth.
7 days ago ... It was Her Novel's Undoing. Sanora Babb's interviews about the Dust Bowl informed “The Grapes of Wrath.” The book's success led to the ...
Jun 25, 2021 ... Hello, I am confused about saying “It was her” or “It was she” in theft sentences. Can you tell me which is right?
Jan 28, 2018 ... It was her idea to get us in church together a few months ago. We been sticking to our weds night commitment , this week we ramped it up and ...
Feb 27, 2018 ... “It was her chaos that made her beautiful.” – atticus ... Her chaos defined nothing, because that is what chaos means. Her beauty wasn't bound to ...
It was her habit to build up laughter out of inadequate materials.” -John Steinbeck Today could definitely be called pretty inadequate, as so many...
Sep 21, 2016 ... 5127 likes, 29 comments - atticuspoetry on September 21, 2016: "'It was her chaos that made her beautiful' @atticuspoetry #atticuspoetry ...

Alternatives:

It was she who called you last night.
I think it was she at the door.
It was she that I saw at the party.

it was she

This phrase is correct but considered more formal or old-fashioned.

This phrase is used when 'she' is the subject of the verb 'was'. It is considered more formal or old-fashioned.

Examples:

It was she who won the competition.
I believe it was she who wrote the letter.
It was she who made the decision.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 25, 2024

Jul 17, 2018 ... Is it true that we should use a subject pronoun only in the following sentence? Using 'her' is ungrammatical or unnatural? "It was she/her ...
Oct 29, 2012 ... It was she or her who bought new clothes. which one should i write she or her whether it is subject or object in the above sentence. Thanks.
Feb 14, 2020 ... I actually did not know what you intended at first by It was she did: it simply isn't grammatical in English.
Mar 23, 2018 ... To simplify, you'd say "it was she" if that person were the subject of the relative clause. ... ', then you can say, 'yes it was she', because now ...
Jun 25, 2021 ... Hello, I am confused about saying “It was her” or “It was she” in theft sentences. Can you tell me which is right?
Sep 8, 2021 ... Both “it was her” and “it was she” are correct. english grammar. The former as spoken grammar and the latter as a subjective use in a cleft ...
Jun 30, 2021 ... 18 likes, 2 comments - boudoirphotographycalgary on June 30, 2021: "Abs rule, it was, she decided, her best feature, she really worked her ...
And the phantom was a woman, and when I came to know her better I called her after the heroine of a famous poem, The Angel in the House. It was she who used to ...
Aug 22, 2020 ... - It was she who approached me first. As far as I know, when I use 'she' instead of 'her' it's so formal, so in writing you use that way, but ...
May 4, 2020 ... It was she who rejected the draft. This is correct because she is the subject of the sentence and the action of rejecting the draft.

Alternatives:

It was her who won the competition.
I believe it was her who wrote the letter.
It was her who made the decision.

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