Is the signature of a letter a subject or an object?
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Track title: Thinking It Over
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Chapters
00:00 Is The Signature Of A Letter A Subject Or An Object?
00:52 Accepted Answer Score 21
01:21 Answer 2 Score 7
02:30 Thank you
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Full question
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Tags
#pronouns #subjects #personalpronouns #objects #subjectorobject
#avk47
ACCEPTED ANSWER
Score 21
The default pronoun to use in English is the objective case. See this EL&U.SE answer. For example, if you were to label a picture, you would label it "me at the beach in 2011" and not "I at the beach in 2011".
The signature is neither a subject nor an object, as it is not part of a sentence. Thus, the correct pronoun is "me".
ANSWER 2
Score 7
I don't think signing a letter with a personal pronoun fits into the conventional format of a letter. As such, I don't think this question is really answerable. You can do whatever you want; you're already breaking the rules of letter-writing.
Some old-fashioned closings for letters made use of a copulative verb before the signature. E.g. see the following "Formal addresses and closings" from this web page:
To the Pope:
Formal Closing: On my knees before Your Holiness, protesting my filial dedication and imploring the favor of an apostolic blessing, I have the honor to be,
The humble and obedient Servant of Your Holiness,
(Signature)To a person of high station or stature:
Formal Closing: I ask Your Excellency (Your Honor) to accept my profound respect. I remain
Your humble and obedient servant,
Or, I have the honor to remain,
Yours faithfully,
(Signature)
("Writing Letters – Small Manual of Civility", by Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D.)
In a sentence like this this, it seems that the supposedly "correct" pronoun would be reflexive, e.g. "I am myself" or "I remain myself".