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What sentence do you think is written correctly?

Saitama_ssa_Diciple
1. It is me who am wrong. 2. It is I who am wrong. 3. It is me who is wrong. 4. It is I who is wrong. In my opinion, I think 2, 3 and 4 are all correct, but 2 will be the most formal and archaic, 3 will be the most casual and 4 will be used in a formal context nowadays. It is just my speculation, how about you? Thank you very much!

17 comments

am_Snowie
It's me who's wrong sounds more familiar to me
SagebrushandSeafoam
2 is correct and formal; it is not archaic, though it does sound a little dramatic. 3 might also be heard ("It's me who's wrong"), but a more likely casual way to say this is: "I'm the one who's wrong." The other two sound very wrong.
flagrantpebble
As a side note: it should be “*Which* sentence do you think is written correctly?”. “What” is for selecting from unbounded or enormous sets; for a small, bound set like the four questions here, use “which”.
jbram_2002
"I'm wrong" or "I was wrong" is sufficient. Others have answered what is grammatically correct, but it's too formal or stiff. Very few people would say that (at least here). Edit to add: there's some discrepancy. The grammatically correct answer is 4, but most people would think it sounds wrong. 3 is acceptable colloquially. 1 and 2 are not acceptable. 2 is wrong because you never say "who am wrong." Who is the subject of that phrase, so "is" or "was" would be the correct verb conjugation. To solve this, break it into two parts: "It is me/I" and "who is/am wrong". They are two clauses. The second is a dependent clause related to the first. I already explained the second half. Technically, "it is I" is the correct grammar because the verb is a linking verb connecting two subjects (as opposed to connecting a subject with an object). But it's very formal and almost no one talks like that or even knows that is the correct form. You would be looked at funny.
ThirdSunRising
4 is the technically correct formal statement. 3 is acceptable under current rules, but you’d never say that because it’s informal, and informally you’d just say, “I’m wrong.”
Electric_Tongue
Okay, I have no idea what's wrong with anyone telling you 1 or 2 is correct but they are NOT. 3 is clunky but correct, no one would say that, 4 is the only answer that someone might actually say. Seriously people, who AM wrong?! You guys ARE wrong. Each one of you IS wrong.
slayerofottomans
I think none of these are quite correct to be honest. Just because if you're saying that it would always be past tense. So "It is I who WAS wrong," but that's way too formal, and very old fashioned, most people would just say "I was wrong."
Shadow-Sojourn
You could say "I am the one who's wrong." That would flow better imo.
Zounds90
2 is correct, 3 is everyday speech and 1 and 4 are both incorrect.
Tetracheilostoma
2 is correct but too formal. it's better to say "i'm the one who is wrong"
Fenifula
I think you're right in your grammar, however those are not things normal people would say in conversation. You'd be more likely to say, "No, sorry, I was wrong. You're right." "You got me. I totally made a mistake there." "I'm an idiot. Of course you're right." "Oops! My bad."
MilleryCosima
"It is me who is wrong" sounds the most natural to me of the choices available. The way I'd actually say it, as a native speaker from the western US, is, "I'm the one who's wrong." "It is I," is technically correct, but it's archaic. It sounds like you're speaking as The Emperor or the Biblical God, and nobody I've ever met is self-important enough to put themselves on that level unironically. "Is" vs. "am" is trickier than I expected. Playing around with plurals, pronouns, and sentence structure had a big impact on what sounded correct to my ears: "Wrong" modifies "I": - I am wrong. - You are wrong. - They are wrong. "Wrong" modifies "the one": - I am the one who is wrong. - You are the one who is wrong. - They are the ones who are wrong. "Wrong" modifies "who", which is singular: - I am who is wrong. - You are who is wrong. - They are who is wrong.  "Wrong" modifies "who", which can be plural: - It is I who is wrong. (Again, "It is me," is the more natural phrasing for a modern speaker). - It is you who is wrong.  - It is they who are wrong. I'm iffy on a couple of these. "It is you who are wrong," doesn't sound terrible either until I think too hard about it, but this mix is what sounded right while keeping some kind of internal rules consistency.
Necessary_Soap_Eater
The funny thing is, I would probably say ‘I’m wrong’ over any of these. If you said the options that you provided, it might not even be understood as they are pretty abstract.
GonzoMath
In order of how likely you are to hear these utterances, it’s 3 > (2, 4) > 1. In fact, option 1 sounds completely unhinged. Options 2 and 4 sound like someone who prefers to be formal, even when they don’t have to be, nor necessarily know how to be. Option 3 sounds the most like an ordinary native-speaking human, not being self-conscious.
SnooDonuts6494
>What sentence do you think is written correctly? I expect you mean **Which** sentence... 1. Wrong. You can't say "am" for yourself. 2. Wrong. Per above. 3. Semi-acceptable, but really crappy English. 4. Almost OK, but using "is" is strange. Better, "I was wrong." "I'm in the wrong." "My bad." (colloquial, but common) "It was my mistake" "I fucked up"
DeviatedPreversions
I would say "It is _me_ who is wrong" if I was playing the part of a mockingly contrite villain. The phrasing puts a lot of emphasis on, not someone else, but _me,_ being wrong. Otherwise, "I'm wrong" (if I'm just now discovering my error) or "I was wrong" (if I discovered my error at any time before this moment.)
sqeeezy
"I" is a subject, not an object. Unless you're Rasta.