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Sorry guys, i'm pretty sure this topic has been discussed before. Although in some other contexts and examples their use seems to be clear, in this the following situation, it seems weird to me. If I want to tell my gf I became a better man since i'm with her:

should I say "Us is my motivation for being a better man" OR "We are my motivation being a better man"?. Not sure. To me the first one sounds right, but i'm no certain because I've learned that Us is used as the object of a sentence, and we as the subject.

Any comments?

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    If you're not dead-set on beginning the sentence with it, try "My motivation for being a better man is (the two of) us".
    – Tushar Raj
    Commented Jan 20, 2017 at 9:49
  • That line never worked for me.
    – deadrat
    Commented Jan 20, 2017 at 9:53
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    I'd go with @TusharRaj as well. This "X is Y" formula is essentially the same construction as "It is I" or "It is me": personal pronouns are [now] usually object pronouns even though they are subject complements. Thus you want us in his revised sentence. That said, the current answer is rather good too.
    – Andrew Leach ♦
    Commented Jan 20, 2017 at 15:53

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Personally I would use "our relationship" rather than us or we. I think the best way to do it is by saying;

You are my motivation to be a better man.

Your involvement as implied by the fact that you're the one speaking thereby eliminating the need to bring yourself into the noun. Moreover, by putting it in the present rather than past tense you imply further that you're not yet complete in being the best man. Unless of course your name is actually Chuck Norris. ;)

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