I and Me Confusing You and Yours

Still confused about the whole “me” or “I” thing, I see.

Listen, just slapping “I” in every sentence where there is a need for a pronoun for you isn’t going to make you seem smarter, my friend.

It will make you seem just the opposite to those who know the rules…

So what is the rule when it comes to “me” versus “I” usage?

Grammatically speaking, when you are the subject of a sentence, use “I.” When you are the object of a sentence, use “me.”

Yeah, I know… so what that means for you and me in plain English/American:

Simply take out the other name(s), noun(s), or pronoun(s) listed in the sentence with you and use whichever pronoun for you (I or me) you would normally use in the same sentence without them.

For instance:

A copy was given to Rick, Steve, and (me/I).

Copy is the subject. The people are the objects.

Without Rick and Steve in the sentence we would easily know to say:

A copy was given to me.

So, the correct sentence would read:

A copy was given to Rick, Steve, and me.

Another example:

Betty, Jane, and (me/I) are going to the library.

The three people are the subjects.

Without Betty and Jane, we of course would say:

I am going to the library.

So, the correct sentence would read:

Betty, Jane, and I are going to the library.

Piece of cake, right?

Of course it is. But that means you’ll have think (to do the grammar math) first before you speak so that may continue to cause you/us some problems.

Anyway…

Follow this simple grammar hack and you and me will get along just fine, my friend.

😉

 
 

me

34 thoughts on “I and Me Confusing You and Yours”

  1. Oh geez Louise, myself sometimes puts ‘yer’ instead of ‘you’ / ‘innit’ instead of ‘isn’t it’ but “ahem” when it comes to ‘shit’ I do prefer to add the airs and graces of the letter E at the end making it “shite”. 😀 {{{giggles}}}

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  2. Maybe next time you will post on the misuse of “myself”…Can hardly wait (sigh…) Sometimes it’s better to just not care about grammar anymore instead of getting annoyed by the bombardment of incorrect usage every day. But I can’t help myself. I’ve always cared. Wonderful book, probably long out of print, is Theodore Bernstein’s “The Careful Writer–A Modern Guide to English Usage”. He’s a delightful writer and makes me laugh at his clever explanations about proper usage.

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    • I considered including “myself” but I figured baby steps would be the best approach. The book you recommend sounds like something that I would like. Thanks! 🙂

      Reply

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