is the fittest object of scorn, you or
_me_.

[Sidenote: Me _in exclamations_.]

403. It is to be remembered that the objective form is used in
exclamations which turn the attention upon a person; as,--

Unhappy _me!_ That I cannot risk my own worthless life.--KINGSLEY

Alas! miserable _me_! Alas! unhappy Senors!--_Id._

Ay _me_! I fondly dream--had ye been there.--MILTON.

[Sidenote: Nominative for the objective.]

404. The rule for the objective form is wrongly departed from--

(1) When the object is far removed from the verb, verbal, or
preposition which governs it; as, "_He_ that can doubt whether he be
anything or no, I speak not to" (_he_ should be _him_, the object of
_to_); "I saw men very like him at each of the places mentioned, but
not _he_" (_he_ should be _him_, object of _saw_).

(2) In the case of certain pairs of pronouns, used after verbs,
verbals, and prepositions, as this from Shakespeare, "All debts are
cleared between you and I" (for _you_ and _me_); or this, "Let _thou_
and _I_ the battle try" (for _thee_ and _me_, or _us_).

(3) By forgetting the construction, in the case of words used in
apposition with the object; as, "Ask the murderer, _he_ who has
steeped his hands in the blood of another" (instead of "_him_ who,"
the word being in apposition with _murderer_).

[Sidenote: _Exception 1_, who _interrogative_.]

405. The interrogative pronoun who may be said to have no
objective form in spoken English. We regularly say, "_Who_ did you
see?" or, "_Who_ were they talking to?" etc. The more formal "To
_whom_ were they talking?" sounds stilted in conversation, and is
usually avoided.

In literary English the objective form _whom_ is _preferred_ for
objective use; as,--

Knows he now to _whom_ he lies under obligation?--SCOTT.

What doth she look on? _Whom_ doth she behold?--WORDSWORTH.

Yet the nominative form is found quite frequently to divide the work
of the objective use; for example,--

My son is going to be married to I don't know _who_.--GOLDSMITH.

_Who_ have we here?--_Id._

_Who_ should I meet the other day but my old friend.--STEELE.

He hath given away half his fortune to the Lord knows
_who_.--KINGSLEY.

_Who_ have we got here?--SMOLLETT.

_Who_ should we find there but Eustache?--MARRVAT.

_Who_ the devil is he talking to?--SHERIDAN.

[Sidenote: _Exception 2, but_ he, _etc._]

406.