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The Quick Answer
Should you write "than I" or "than me"?
"John is taller than me" and "John is taller than I" are both correct.
However, some of your readers might think that "John is taller than
me" is wrong (even though it sounds natural), and some of your
readers might think that "John is taller than I" sounds pretentious.
The safest option is to expand the sentence after the "than." For
example:
The quick answer is both are correct, but not everyone agrees that
both are correct, and that's the problem. Here's the issue: the word
"than" can be classified as either a conjunction or a preposition, and
that's the root of the debate.
"Than" as a Conjunction
When "than" is used as a conjunction, it looks like this:
"than I"
(This means the following are also acceptable: "than he," "than she,"
"than we," "than they.")
or
"than me"
(This means the following are also acceptable: "than him,"
"than her," "than us," "than them.")
"Than Me" Sounds More Natural
For most people, the "than me" version sounds more natural than
"than I." However, "than me" is the version that runs the higher risk
of being considered wrong. This is almost certainly because the
"than I" version has been in use longer and seems more
grammatically correct. For some though, the "than I" version sounds
pretentious. So, there are some factors to consider before choosing,
without any definitive guidelines.
Avoiding Ambiguity with "Than Me"
Unfortunately, it's not as simple as doing whatever you want and, if
challenged, claiming that the world's grammarians have been
squabbling for hundreds of years over this issue. There is another
issue to consider. Sometimes, the "than me" version introduces
ambiguity. Look at this example: