Grammar Mishaps: I vs. Me

wajay_47 5 years ago

Thanks for covering one of my pet peeves. "I" is a subject and "me" is an object. This is especially abused when used with the second person pronoun, "you", as in the Jim Morrison song, "Touch Me", he says "For you and I". It's totally incorrect. The preposition "for" may be used with you, since it may be in an object form, but "for" may never be properly used with "I", which is clearly a subject. Sorry, did not mean to get on a soapbox! Very good hub!

Jenny 5 years ago

How do I know when to use a or an before a noun/subject

Amy 4 years ago

When should you use got and when should you use have? Is there a specific grammar rule? Thanks

Bianca 4 years ago

Great tip!

dn 4 years ago

In the sentence "this is the will of me, [name]......", I don't understand why 'me' is used instead of 'I'. Is there an explanation for why this is so? Thanks

Allison 4 years ago

Which sentence would be correct and why?

I didn't know he's younger than me.

or

I didn't know he's younger than I.

Thanks for the help

Gabbby 4 years ago

I love your site!

Just one quesiton-- If I were to say "My mom and I were watching a movie," it would still be "and i" correct? Even though if you remove the "My mom" it becomes "I were watching a movie?" I understand all you have to do is change the tense of the verb but still. . just a thought. : ]

Nithu 4 years ago

Hi Robin,

In a sentence like "The Union delegates who are

going to the convention in Goa are Ralph, Nancy and me. "

is the usage of 'me' correct?

As Ralph, Nancy and me refer to the subject of the sentence 'Union delegates'

would that mean we should use the subjective form

'I' even though this pronoun comes after the verb.

Thanks!

Nithu 4 years ago

Thanks a ton!

But what if a sentence is in passive voice?

In the sentence, "The meeting will be convened by Ralph, Nancy and me."

Is the usage of 'me' correct here?

Thanks!

Allison 4 years ago

Someone tried to correct me on my grammar and now I can't figure out if I'm right or not. I have a picture that I labeled "My Jayma and me" they tried to tell me it should be "My Jayma and I" Can you tell me why I'm right or wrong in this situation?

Cara 4 years ago

There's a popular new song which says, "Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?" Now obviously that should be "Don't you" and "were", but is it "hot like me" or "hot like I"? I've seen t-shirts with either one printed on them, so were I to wear one of the shirts, which would be correct?

P.S. I think Allison meant it like, "This is a picture of me" or "This is a picture of I".

Ann 4 years ago

So, which is correct - It is I or It is me? (Ralph commented on it, but I didn't get the distinction of which was correct.)

Jonathon 4 years ago

I'm curious about your response to Nithu because you used "I" as an objective case pronoun when it should be nominative case (a.k.a. subjective case). You would not say, "The meeting will be convened by I." Because you are using the preposition "by," I would think it would be correct to say "me" instead of "I" in that context.

Robin E. Simmons 4 years ago

Robin, If you wrote a biography, would it be correct to title it "A WRITER LIKE I" or "A WRITER LIKE ME"?  Robin

Elizabeth J. 4 years ago

This is a question about using I or me. In this passage, "and so we cuddled, my kitten and I.", is "I" correct?

Thank you.

diana 4 years ago

Can you help me with this? Is "I am" or "me" the best bet for this sentence. Also, can you give me a quick explaination.

No one could be more shocked than I am to realize that I have a problem.

Elaine 4 years ago

When you are using the comparative, e.g. He is younger than me, should you not use me instead of I because you need an object pronoun. Following the explanation you gave Allison, He is younger than he, would be correct and in my mind that is incorrect. Should it not be, He is younger than he is/He is younger than him?

Alvin Lee 4 years ago

I think Jonathon is correct, it should be "The meeting will be convened by Ralph, Nancy and me." as stated by Nithu, not "The meeting will be convened by Ralph, Nancy and I.", as stated by Robin.

You would say, "The book will be written by Ralph, Nancy and me." or "The book will be written by me."

Or you would say, "This website will be edited by Robin, Jonathon and me." or "This website will be edited by me."

Of course I am just guessing based on what I learned from this site, so I defer to Robin for the final answer. He did say he was tired and needed to sleep.

Monica 4 years ago

If I am showing a caption on a picture for some site like MySpace, how should it read?

1. Angie and Me in the High School Gym

OR

2. Angie and I in the High School Gym

Everyone has "I" in their capitons but I have "Me" because it just sounds strange, but I feel like the odd (wo)man out.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

Jessica 4 years ago

Monica, you're right. It should be "Angie and Me in the High School Gym." After all, you would write "Angie in the High School Gym" and "Me in the High School Gym," not "I in the High School Gym."

Michael 4 years ago

I think you're wrong Jessica/Monica; however, nobody should really care on MySpace should care about this. Basically, in your picture you are saying "This is my friend and i in the high school." You're technically not supposed to use an object pronoun (me, him, her, them). This is commonly mis-used. It is probably mis-used more often than it is used correctly. I don't even really consider it a problem in informal things (e.g. MySpace), but you should be aware that in more formal situations people will care.

Linda 4 years ago

Is it appropriate to say, "My husband and I are going to the mall."?

Heath 4 years ago

I just wanted to say thanks for a simple and easy to understand article.

janet 4 years ago

So what is the correct answer for Lindas question, because the Queen of England always addresses the public with "my husband and I......"

Sara 4 years ago

I've been noticing a trend in the comments. My contribution is... finish the sentence.

Example: "She is younger than I." That statement is correct. It makes sense to know which to use (I or me) when you finish the sentence. "She is younger than I AM!"

Example: Answering the phone: "This is she." That statement is correct. Finishing the sentence: "This is she who is speaking."

Obviously, you don't always have to verbalize the "finishing of the sentence," but you should visualize it, thus knowing which to use.

Thank you,

Sara (Granddaughter of a Grammar NUT! - Very much appreciated now that I am older)

salmon 4 years ago

i convinced my teacher i was right, with that grammar thingy, i sorta am

Maureen 4 years ago

My question concerns the use of 'myself' in this sentence: "We, that is Pam and myself, were wondering if you would be..."

Thank you.

Maureen

Alex 4 years ago

I was reading an email and the person said the following, "Please contact Sandy and I by Friday." Now I am not sure if I am wrong, but shouldn't it be me, because if you were to remove Sandy it would be please contact me. Or could it be either of those two?

chris 4 years ago

what is correct: "The only people to visit were Mom and me" or "The only people to visit were Mom and I"?

Jack NY 4 years ago

Hi Robin,

This holiday, I had an argument with some members of my family over this phrase: This cake is for Jack and I? Or should I say: this cake is for Jack and me? Anyone?

Steve 4 years ago

Who really cares what is correct? It's all just communication.

leftguard 4 years ago

comment on the use, or over use, of "now" as a transitional word in tv newscasts.

shiff 3 years ago

THanks alot i learnt lot .and i hope to do my presentation very well.Thank you! i like this web site very much!!

Michael 3 years ago

Hello Robin. This is a very useful site. My question is about the following sentence:

I have a close friend flying in to spend the weekend with the family and I.

A colleague at work corrected me pointing out that it should be "with the family and me". I understand the object rule, but this just sounds akward. Is my construction unequivocally wrong, or may use either construction? Thanks.

I have a close friend flying in to spend the weekend with the family and I.

oscar 3 years ago

i have a close friend flying in to spend the weekend with me.

the guy in the picture is i.

yo robin, may i also ask for a tip on how to use "have to" and "had to". thanks, OSCAR

cheyenne 3 years ago

hey, so if im like toking to like my boyfriend, should i say like "dont be sillie like me," or "dont be sillie like i" -- i like dont no the diferrance here!!

grammer emergancy needing to be solvd~!!!lol

Ben 3 years ago

Could someone help me. is "James, Pip and I" or "James, Pip and me" correct?

Brianna 3 years ago

In a situation where "me" is correct, is it incorrect to put the "me" before the other object in the sentence?

In other words, which is correct:

"My parents bought me and Sally"

or

"My parents bought Sally and me a puppy"

Rachel 3 years ago

What if, say on something like Facebook, you're labeling your pictures and all you want is to get the point across that it is you and your friend (nothing extra). Which is correct: (ex. using a name)

Michelle and I

Michelle and me

Ronald 3 years ago

sometimes it sounds sweet to use "me" instead of "i" which sounds so formal.. like:

Gina and I have to dance.

Me and Gina have to dance. (wrong but.. sweeter)

Jay Boswell 3 years ago

My grandson and I are having a discussion about the word "me". Which is correct when asked "Who is playing?" Answer "me" or "I".

Thank you.

Nitin` 3 years ago

Hi Robin

Your knowledge is very much helpful in buiding grammar. Thanks for this. I have a statement, if you can help me getting the correct one:-

"Paritosh is as old as I"or should it be "Paritosh is as old as me"

Thanks

Jenna 3 years ago

Okay back to picture labeling... it drives me crazy how EVERYONE on myspace label pictures and they say jenna and i or whatever the persons name and i. Even though its not a complete sentence you still know they are refferring to the picture. Therefore you take out the first name and say i or me, now if you were going to label a picture of you alone would you label it i, of course not, so the same goes for labeling it jenna and i. It is clear to me that it should be jenna and me. I hope i am making sense! the point you are trying to get across when only putting jenna and me is that this is a picture of and the names of the people in the picture, so would you say this is a picture of i or would you say this is a picture of me. Obviously the correct way to go would be "ME". It is really hard to explain this kind of thing. This Robin chick has it down pat, so im going to stick with what she says is right.

arden 3 years ago

Hey, thanks for the blog. This helps a lot!

kjnyankee 3 years ago

Regarding photos, how would you list a photo of people by order of appearance when you are the first person in the pic? Would it be incorrect to list it as: Me and Bob or Me, Bob, Jen and Rick?

barkyard 3 years ago

How would you write,

Thank you for meeting with Sean and I and discussing the business. or

Thank you for meeting with Sean and me or Me. which is the right one?

I'm still confussed 50+ you know...

Janet 3 years ago

Which sentence is correct? 1. “He is younger than me” or 2. “He is younger than I.” Please explain why. Thanks VERY MUCH!!

Vitaly 3 years ago

Most of the comments have it correctly, but the explanations are lacking in that they don't state the rule of English grammar. (I only read the first 15 or so, and if someone did actually write this, I apologize for the redundancy). The rule of English is as follows: If a pronoun follows the verb "to be" or any of its conjucated forms (am, was, were, been, etc.), it has to be a subject pronoun (I, s(he), we, they); if the pronoun follows any other verb OR a preposition (between, for, against, in, on, etc.), it is an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them). Additionally, most comparative sentences must have a subject pronoun. So "She is taller than I" is correct, while "She is taller than me" is not. The reason for this is that neither sentence is truly complete. If it were, it would read "She is taller than I am." Completing the sentence with a verb should give you a guide as to whether you are using a correct pronoun, but most comparative phrases will use the subject pronoun. As for possessive pronouns (myself, himself, herself, etc.), they can only be used if they refer to something back in the sentence in which they are used. For example: I did it myself - "myself" refers to "I." On the other hand: "He gave the papers to John, Jane and myself" - this is incorrect, "myself" should be replaced with "me" to make the sentence proper.

Hope this helps.

mike 3 years ago

How do you know when to use "which" or "that"?

Vitaly 3 years ago

Mike, for the most part, the use of "that" and "which" is entirely up to you and how you want your writing to sound. The first question you should ask yourself is whether either of those two words is truly necessary. For example: "The plane that/which we boarded was very large." In that instance, you can use either, but you can also use neither, e.g., "The plane we boarded was very large." On the other hand, if you are trying to give a more specific description of something, "which" is more appropriate; example: "This pen, which was given to me by my father, writes flawlessly." The clause surrounded by commas in the preceding example is a nonessential clause. Those are usually introduced by "which." Whereas essential clauses are introduced by "that" and don't have commas surrounding them. However, remember that if you are talking about human beings, "that" and "which" are replaced by "who."

Jeff 3 years ago

Is this sentence correct? "Those that have commented on the conversation between Mike and I seem to agree with Mike.

dodom 3 years ago

I noticed that nobody answered Brianna's question -

In a situation where "me" is correct, is it incorrect to put the "me" before the other object in the sentence?

In other words, which is correct:

"My parents bought me and Sally"

or

"My parents bought Sally and me a puppy"

I need to know the answer to this as well. Please help?!

Harriet Marlowe 3 years ago

Nithu (followed by a response to Dodom's query).

I'm afraid Robin's reply to you, concerning the use of I/me in a passive voice construction, was misleading. In your example, "The meeting was convened by X, Y, and me/I" the correct form to use here is 'me' not 'I'. The subject of the sentence in the passive voice is the word 'the meeting' NOT 'I, Nancy and Ralph'. The same sentence converted in the active voice will require changes in the subject and object positions as well. Thus, in the active voice one would say 'Ralph, Nancy and I will convene the meeting', because here it is R,N, and I who are the subjects of the verb while 'the meeting' is the object. In sum, the correct passive construction is 'The meeting was convened by Ralph, Nancy and me', and the correct active voice construction is 'Ralph, Nancy and I will convene the meeting'.

Dodom,

In terms of formal rules of grammar either way is correct. It is simply more courteous to put the self-reference last. I would personally opt for 'My parents bought Sally and me a pappy' but 'My parents bought me and Sally a pappy' violates no grammatical rule. By all rules and standards, though, the sentence 'My parents bought Sally and I a pappy' -uttered by many overanxious speakers- would be a grammatical abomination.

Babita 3 years ago

If he were to decide to go to college, one would recommend that he plan to go to XYZ college.

In the above sentence, i have a confusion whether 'were' is to be used or 'was' is to be used with 'he' and why? Please help. Thanks

Jim 3 years ago

Myself should only be used once I has been used already in the sentence.

I, myself, am gay

I, me, am gay (sounds okay actually but is wrong)

He is gay for me (OK)

He is gay for I (not so)

renee 3 years ago

I am reading Obama's autobiography Audacity of Hope. In it he says Michelle, his wife, "is three years younger than me". This is wrong right? How did this not get caught?

Gareth 3 years ago

Learneds are saying that 'gotten' is no longer to be used, therefore instead of saying "I've gotten a car", you would say "I've got a car". 'Have got' is used instead of gotten. Got is the past, but the past participle is have got not have gotten.

bishwaksen 3 years ago

Will it be "John and I bought some clothes" or "John and me...."?

j 3 years ago

Incredible website!!!

Cliff 3 years ago

There seems to be a growing number that believe "I" should ALWAYS be used instead of "me". These people rudely "correct" those that actually use "me" properly! I think the confusion stems from the ettiquette of placing oneself last in a list. When children say, for instance, "me and Bubba", they are abruptly corrected, "Bubba and I". Some adults don't realize that in some cases "Bubba and me" would actually be correct. The etiquette of placing others first is often overlooked and the change from "me" to "I" becomes embedded.

Harriet Marlowe 3 years ago

bishwaksen,

The correct form is 'John and I bought some clothes'. In this sentence 'John' and 'I' are joined subjects of the verb to buy (bought) and since the subject can never be in any other case than the nominative then 'I' is the only option here.

Jennifer 3 years ago

Question about "I" vs "Me" - I was corrected and need to know what is correct:

"Thank you for meeting with Lindsay and me."

OR

"Thank you for meeting with Lindsay and I."

and does it matter if you put a time frame to it?

I.E. "Thank you for meeting with Lindsay and me yesterday."

This has become a family debate. Looking forward to the correct answer.

Liz 3 years ago

This is what I remember from grade school:

I vs. Me when used with another subject - take the other subject out of the sentence and see how it sounds. So, "Thank you for meeting with Lindsay and I" would turn into "Thank you for meeting I". Which doesn't sound right. So the correct way to say the sentence should be, "Thank you for meeting with Lindsay and me".

Jose 2 years ago

Hello Robin I found your page through google. I must say great job. I had question to. Would the following sentence be:

Communication between my parents, my younger sisters, and I became very important.

Or

Communication between my parents, my younger sisters, and me became very important.

Thanks for your help.

Tony 2 years ago

Her experiences on plantations provided her with characters, who seem as real as you and me.

Should it be ........you and I?

Why

Arby 2 years ago

the object of a preposition can never be the subject of a sentence - therefore should never be "I"

example from above:

"between" is a preposition followed by a compound object of parents, sister, and me

Communication (between my parents, my younger sister, and me) became very important.

Her experiences (on plantations) provided her (with characters) who seem (as real as you and me)

Donald 2 years ago

I recently posted a sentence on a forum which I now realise is incorrect: "She went her way, I mine; she to NY, me to London"

But should the 2nd part read: "she to NY, I to London" or "her to NY, me to London"?

I think it might be "she/I" because of an implied "went" after both pronouns.

Kim 2 years ago

Okay, but which of these would be correct? "We need more candy, Sarah and I."

Or is it, "We need more candy, Sarah and me."

Jason Gallagher 2 years ago

I think that the fact that there are so many clarifications and intelligent questions about this rule means that it truly isn't "one of the simplest grammar corrections."

Emily 2 years ago

This drives me nuts.. i want to know if its correct when people post pictures of themselves online and they put " Lindsey and I " or "Jake and I" is this correct? it sounds stupid but i dont know if its the correct grammar or not and its a major pet peeve of mine

Beverly 2 years ago

I just found this bit of information out, actually: if the pronoun comes right after a linking verb, such as 'is', then you would use 'I'. "It is I," "it is she," etc. It would even be "it is they," which actually makes me a little mad, haha.

Ari 2 years ago

In the following sentence, I know that "I" should be used instead of "me." But I can't figure out why! Can anyone help me by explaining this rule?

"My son, who is a star basketball player, is much taller than me"

The way I see it, "My son" is the subject; so why would "me" have to be changed to the subjective form "I"?

EYEAM4ANARCHY 2 years ago

That's a great little tip about removing one of the subjects and seeing if the sentence still works.

beelzebal 2 years ago

I am unable to find a reference explaining the case of the object of a verb used in the subjunctive mood, e.g., "If it were me...". Ordinarily any form of the verb 'to be' takes the nominitive case, e.g., "It is I" where I is the predicate nominative, but I think the use of subjunctive mood changes the rule. Do you have a reference for the use of subjunctive mood?

Karen 2 years ago

Hello,

great site. You'd think I got it by now. I think, 'It is I, who checked in' rather than 'it is me who checked in'.

I always see another use (even in the newspaper), which I think is incorrect, but am not sure. I also saw it in the dialogue above.

When do you use who or that. I think it surely wasn't I THAT checked in. Isn't a person always a who?

Thanks for the hep

Ruben 2 years ago

Ari,

It depends on how you are using the word "than". If you are using it as a preposition, then you would use "me", because it is the object of the preposition.

But if you are using it as a conjuntion (subject), you would use "I", as in "My son is taller than I [am]".

So both are correct, IMHO.

minko 2 years ago

what is the correct usage, "say me" or "say to me"?

MeloM 2 years ago

Hello,

It's amazing how many people get this wrong. It's especially annoying when I hear it from people you'd expect to know better, like corporate executives. Here's my question. Would you say, "If you think they'll need help, so will Jen and I", or "If you think they'll need help, so will Jen and me." My instinct tells me the first one is correct but MS Word's grammar checker does not think so.

Derek 2 years ago

re: the question (see above) over the lyric "Don'tcha wish your girlfriend was hot like me?"

You agreed with the comment that the usage was incorrect and should have been "hot like I", noting that "I" would be the proper usage in the implied statement "I am hot". However, given that the noun "me", as used in the lyric, is the object of the preposition "like", isn't the sentence grammatically correct as stated? In essence, shouldn't the express use of the pronoun as the object of "like" take precedence over the implied use of the pronoun as the subject of "am"?

This also raises the question of whether and when it is ever appropriate to base I/me pronoun selection on implied grammatic structure?

Kat 2 years ago

I encountered a question in a test that's been bothering me: Which is grammatically correct, The book interested you more than I, or the book interested you more than me?

Thanks!

Jeslyn 2 years ago

Kat,

"The book interested you more than me" is correct.

"The book interested I" -> WRONG

"The book interested me" -> CORRECT

Therefore, usage of "me" is correct.

I suggest everyone to take a look at this website to get a clearer understanding of "I" and "me". Its simple and easy to understand, while this website's explanation is rather wordy.

Adriano 2 years ago

What about this one?

- Now, it is me who apologizes...

or

- Now it is I who apologizes...

Thanks

Kelli 2 years ago

What about a sentence like, "Kelli and I's beds for the weekend were in the living room." I know this is not correct. Would it be "Kelli's and my beds" or "Mine and Kelli's beds..."?

Diane 2 years ago

What if you are capturing a picture? Should it be "Name" and I? Or "Name" and Me?

Teena 2 years ago

I also have the same question. When putting a caption to a a photo, is it "Pete and me" or "Pete and I"? Thanks!

Gerald 2 years ago

For picture posting:

Who is in the picture? (I am. Or me.) This is a bad example :), but since you choose to only label names and include "I" or "me", you should use "me".

I'd say, finish this sentence: "Point [your finger] to/at ..." (Bob, Jenna, Tom, and *me*.) I'm pretty certain you'd be comfortable always finishing that sentence with "me."

If you don't agree with that line of reasoning, then consider the response to someone looking at your photo and asking, "Who is that person?" "Oh, that is me."

Wiggle room caveat:

If you consider that you'll actually be describing the picture in the comment, it may be appropriate to say, "Bob, Jenna, Tom, and I were at the mall." (because you would appropriately say "I was at the mall.") or "Bob, Jenna, Tom, and me at the mall." (because you would appropriately say "[That's] me at the mall.")

Kevin 2 years ago

Which sentence would be correct: "My Mom and I at my graduation." "My Mom and me at my graduation."? I would think it was "I".

cj 2 years ago

use of I and me ...I is after a noun and me is after a verb?? thanks

momto2girlz 2 years ago

My coworkers and I have a question from an email send to us. At the end of her email, my boss wrote, "If you have any questions or concerns, please let either Bob or I know." Is this correct? I think it should be "let either Bob or me know." I have been looking everywhere for the answer to this, and I can't find it. Can anyone help?

Hazmatt 24 months ago

@Gerald

Your conclusion is correct, but how you came to it is flawed. "It is me" is not correct. If the pronoun follows a linking verb (am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being), it should be a subject verb. If someone calls and asks for you by name, you would say, "This is he," not, "This is him." Likewise, "It is I," or, "This is I" are correct. Therefore, because photo captions are not complete sentences, the question you should ask is what sentence is being implied. One choice is, "This is Bob and I." From this, using "Bob and I" for the caption would be valid. However, a more complete sentence would be, "This is a picture of Bob and me." So, I think "Bob and me" would be more appropriate.

@momto2girlz

"Let" is an action verb. You would use "me" over "I." It should be easy to tell if you take out Bob. You wouldn't say, "Let I know." You would say, "Let me know." And as long as we're talking about grammar, you should have written "sent to us" instead of "send to us," although I'm sure that was just a typo. I would have typed, "It's should" if I hadn't double checked.

Karen 23 months ago

Which is correct?

"They cannot all be like me"

or

"They cannot all be like I"

Jessica 23 months ago

I have the same question as Karen.

My sentence is:

Jamie is a hardworking student, just like you and (me or I).

David 22 months ago

Jessica, reading through the previous comments, It does not seem to me that you have the same question as Karen.

"They cannot all be like me." [object vs subject]

but,

"Jamie is a hardworking student, just like you and I (are)."

Anthony 22 months ago

So explain what would be used correctly..

Most of my daughters gifts came from my mother and I.

OR

Most of my daughters gifts came from my mother and me.

Tuesday03 22 months ago

I took a grammar quiz on here, and got this wrong'

"Barbie is prettier than me." (incorrect) but I dont know why. The replace test doesn't work in this example. It sounds correct to me.

Martin 22 months ago

"Barbie is prettier than me" is incorrect. Complete the sentence by saying, "Barbie is prettier than I am." You wouldn't say, "Barbie is prettier than me am."

Ryan 22 months ago

He became just as excited as I.

or,

He became just as excited as me.

kasia 21 months ago

this is really smart half of the time but this is so stupid u need to use more example because some people do have homework to do lady or who eva made dis web site :(

Revell  21 months ago

When adding information to a picture you've posted, is it correct to say "Julian and I" or "Julian and me" as the subjects of the picture.

Oliver 21 months ago

I had this arguement with a friend today so i thought i'd look it up to be sure, it seems i'm right.

To Revell, I would say 'Julian and Me' is correct. I think of it along the lines of if you remove 'Julian' what would you write. 'I' wouldn't make sense but 'Me' would.

Personally i don't really care when people say or write 'me' when it should be 'I' but it does bother me when people use 'I' incorrectly as it just sounds pretentious and actually makes you sound stupid. Just an opinion of 'I' of course.

hurrican 20 months ago

Thanks for clearing that up!

J 20 months ago

Could you please help with this inviation sentence:

"You're invited to come to a house party for my new roommate and I."

Is it "I" or "me" at the closure of said sentence. Many, many thanks.

Christine  20 months ago

Please.... when posting a picture on facebook.... Should you write: "John and Me" or John and I?"

luisv714 19 months ago

What about in an "are" sentence. For example, "Aiden and I are wearing matching shirts," versus, "Aiden and me are wearing matching shirts."

mmpo 19 months ago

Use "I." "Aiden and I" is a plural subject requiring the plural verb, "are."

luisv714 19 months ago

Thanks a lot for the clear up.

Monisha  19 months ago

why are we using somewhere I and somewhere I am? what is thegrammar of this usage?plz xplain

Pamela 18 months ago

this is very helpful. Thanks a lot!

marl 18 months ago

would you say, that is a picture of sam and i

or a picture of sam and me?

Lila McGrew 17 months ago

THANK YOU! This has become one of my biggest pet peeves on the internet - Facebook in particular. You explained it well and I linked you for the edification of my family and friends. Basically, if you take everyone out of the sentence with the exception of yourself and it doesn't sound right, it isn't.

Denise 17 months ago

"Where was I?"

Can you explain the gramatical aspects of this sentence?

Betty 17 months ago

All info. helpful. I need to know when using a sentence like the following should it be me or myself.

Because of this, Ann, Emily, Cande, and myself/me just wanted to give back to two deserving people.

Gerry 16 months ago

What is with people using "goes" as a replacement for "said or says" as:

My mom goes, "Come home early."

I go, "Why can't I stay out later than 11:00?"

She goes, "Because I worry when you're out late.

I go, "Well don't worry."

OR:

So I went, "Well, then can I leave early?"

She went, "Yes, that is o.k."

I went, "Thank you."

Brenda 16 months ago

I read all the comments, and I'm still not sure. If you are posting a picture on Facebook, should you use "my sister and me" or my sister and I" as a caption. Thank you.

Nigel 16 months ago

should one use I or me in the following sentence?

"John can run faster than I."

NathanUT 16 months ago

OK, I know I vs. me, but I want to know what "the book" says about placing yourself last in a list. As in, "George and I went to the store," or "This house belongs to Jill and me." I know those are both correct. What I want to know is, is it a RULE that says you must place yourself last in the list, or is it etiquette that says so? Would it be incorrect to say "This house belongs to me and Jill"? Does it have to be "This house belongs to Jill and me"?

Garrett 15 months ago

Me, Sam, Betty, and Todd went to the party or Sam, Betty, odd, and I went to the party.

David 15 months ago

I even hear news commentators say atrocious things like "for John and I"...it comes from a false sense of elegance. Americans trying to sound smart and just being fools...as usual. And I"m an American.

Don 15 months ago

How should I say, Lauren and I's flight arrives at noon? Is it, me and Lauren's flight arrives at noon?

Diana 14 months ago

To Don:

Lauren and my flight arrives at noon. Consider this, if Lauren were not flying with you, wouldn't you simply say, "My flight arrives at noon"?

My sister, God bless her, made a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. At dinner, she corrected my eight year old's usage of the pronoun "me", but unfortunately, my sister's correction was incorrect. My daughter's usage of the pronoun 'me' as the object of the verb was correct. My niece's boyfriend, mumbled that my daughter was right, but neither of us spoke up, lest we ruin our Thanksgiving dinner in telling her that her correction of the eight year old was incorrect.

Funny, isn't it?

Barbara 14 months ago

In the arriving flight example, I was taught that both (or all) names in a construction like this one should be possessive: Lauren's and my flight.. You wouldn't say "Lauren flight," you'd say "Lauren's flight.

Don 14 months ago

Thanks - that clears things up. Also, is this correct: my wife's and my flight arrives at noon?

Barbara 13 months ago

Don: According to the possessive rule, yes, "my wife's and my flight" is correct if you really need to differentiate between your flight and someone else's. "Jim and his brother are flying in early, but my wife's and my flight arrives at noon." Otherwise, you'd probably just say "our flight."

R.D.Noslip 13 months ago

Just got some wingstop for Kevin and I. ? Mmmmmmm

Is this the correct way to write that ???

Because it seems to me that it should read like this..

Just got some wingstop for Kevin and myself.

lollerskate 13 months ago

to clarify,

I can Haz cheezbugrer, not

Me Haz cheezbuger... can. ^_^

Rebecca Grace 12 months ago

I was showing a class picture to my son, pointed myself out and said, "Here is me." Should I have said, "Here am I?" Would "This is me" have been correct?

Cheryl 12 months ago

Okay, what about in the sentence: "It took my friend and I a lot of time to build our tree house."

Would it be corrcet to say, "my friend and me", since you'd say "it took me a lot of time..."?

JH 12 months ago

In answer to a question: "In the drawer unit behind Keith and I."

Is that correct? A particular pedant informs me that it isn't, but I don't at this stage agree. Thoughts welcome!

LondonJames 10 months ago

Elizabeth J. said:

'This is a question about using I or me. In this passage, "and so we cuddled, my kitten and I.", is "I" correct?'

I am British but in regards to the question, I don't think the grammar would be different here in this case.

As the extract is not a complete sentence it is hard to answer with complete certainty but the correct form would be “my kitten and I”. I think I am right in my deductions; “my kitten and I” is a clause which looks passive as it comes at the end of the sentence, but is in fact active – it is just that it has been displaced to the end of the sentence to connote an afterthought or to foreground the kitten and person scene. The subject is “we”, or rather (specifically) “kitten and I”. One way to be able to see this as correct is to rearrange the sentence in a simpler form, i.e.: “My kitten and I cuddled [each other]”. Using the rule Robin pointed out, we remove “my kitten and” and we get “I cuddled...” rather than the incorrect “Me cuddled...”. I hope this wasn’t too difficult to understand and I hope it helps.

Kelly 8 months ago

Just an FYI- As I was reading many of your entries it kept striking my attention that many of you need to brush up on proper comma and quotation usage.

Commas with Quotations

Commas are used to set off the "he said/she said" clause. The comma always goes before the quotation marks.

Incorrect: Henrietta asked "Do you want to go with me?"

(Comma must set off "she said" clause.)

Incorrect: Henrietta asked",Do you want to go with me?"

(Comma must go before quotation mark.)

Correct: Henrietta asked,"Do you want to go with me?"

Incorrect: "I will go with you",Jane replied.

(Comma must go before quotation mark.)

Correct: "I will go with you,"Jane replied.

Correct: "Anyway," she said, "I have to go."

(Note the pattern when the clause is in the middle.)

A comma is not used to set off a "he said/she said" clause if the part of the quotation preceding the clause ends with a question mark or exclamation point.

Incorrect: "Why did you do that?," he asked.

(Comma not necessary)

Correct: "Why did you do that?" he asked.

Correct: "Hey!" he screamed. "Come back here!"

(Note that the question mark or exclamation point goes with the quotation, not with the "he said/she said" clause.)

Pup 8 months ago

I just heard President Obama say, "If it was me, I would have resigned."

Now, I know that is subjunctive case (An if statement), so I know he SHOULD have said, "If it were me . . ."

What I am unsure of, is if the pronoun "me" should have been "I." So should he have said, "If it were I, I would have resigned." Or should it have been (which sounds better to me): "If it were me, I would have resigned."

Thanks!

Lucifa42 6 months ago

What about a sentence like "John and I are going to the airport"

Me are going...

I are going...?

Sunny Brook 6 months ago

James Smith, son of Bill Smith, with Sam and I in Atlanta at the movie.

Is this correct?

David 5 months ago

Sunny, I think it should read "Sam and me" because if you took "Sam" out, then the sentence would reaad "with me", not "with I"

Hope it helps.

jcho 5 months ago

hey! i had a question about whether i'm supposed to say "she looks like me" or "she looks like i." i was taught that it was "me," but then i thought about the verb "do" being implied. can you please explain? thank you!

tom@thomas-moriarty.com 4 months ago

Does one say 'only I' or 'only me'?

prabhash nath 3 months ago

i have a confusion. Can you clear it to me. What is the mistake in below sentence

He did not ever tell me about him

Please correct me

Pavielle 3 months ago

I have read emails stating, "Please contact John or myself." Is this correct?

JayJa 2 months ago

Hi - which is correct, Sean and me will come to the office tomorrow, or Sean and I will come to office tomorrow?

Lucifa 2 months ago

Jayja: Second one. Remove the 'Sean and' from both versions and which one sounds correct?

Farid Khan 2 months ago

What does this rule mean?

"While comparing two persons, the pronoun used later will be the same as the subject."

Its example is: She is wiser than I am.

Please explain the rule.

Deepak Dahlan 2 months ago

Please help, which is correct:

My friend and I was not going to market.

or

me and my friend was not going to market.

or

I and my friend was not going to market.

Stacie 2 months ago

When it's all said and done, who really cares? Years ago everyone worried about correct grammar. In this day of age, I'm sure half of society does not speak properly! Adios!

Heather 7 weeks ago

Stacie, you are unfortunately correct in saying "who really cares"? I am disgusted at the lack of caring about our language. What you don't seem to realize is, what comes out of your mouth is a direct reflection of your education,intelligence and class. How can people not care that they might sound like an uneducated idiot? A while ago I heard someone on TV say "I'm so excited about JACK AND I'S baby coming !! My head almost exploded !! I have recently heard this same phrase two other times, so would Robin please address this and provide the correct way of phrasing? Would it be right to say JACK'S AND MY BABY, or just our baby? Thank you !!

Arnur 7 weeks ago

In many comments here it was stated that sentences like "He is taller than me" are incorrect. However, in Raymond Murphy's 'English Grammar in Use' we can see the following:

"We usually say

You are taller than me. (not 'than I')

After 'than/as' it is more usual to say 'me/him/her/them/us' when there is no verb. Compare:

You are taller than I am.

but

You are taller than me.

They have more money than we have.

but

They have more money than us.

I can't run as fast as he can.

but

I can't run as fast as him."

Arnur 7 weeks ago

On the other hand, in Wikipedia we find an interesting article

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subject_complement

"While no strong arguments other than widespread acceptance are made for the use of colloquial "it is me" ("it is him", "he is taller than him", etc) in written speech in Joseph Crayton's works, other grammarians, among whom were Baker (1770), Campbell (1776), and Lindley Murray (1795), give the reason why the first person pronoun must be "I" rather than "me": it is a nominative that is equivalent to the subject, and as such they prove that it must always be in the nominative (subjective) case. These three partisans of the nominative case, Baker, Campbell, and Murray, were the commentators whose preachments were accepted as gospel by the schoolmasters.[2]

Joseph Priestley justified the colloquial usage on the grounds of good writers using it often:

All our grammarians say, that the nominative cases pronouns ought to follow the verb substantive as well as precede it; yet any familiar forms of speech, and example of some of our best writers, would lead us to make a contrary rule; or, at least, would leave us at liberty to adopt which we liked best.[3]

It can be inferred that the colloquial preference for "it is me" could be receiving such widespread use due to rejecting the model of Latin, where the complement of the copula is in the nominative case."

So, 'He is taller than me' or 'It's me' are incorrect sentences, but the evil is so widespread that it almost justifies this misuse. As for me, from now on I'll use the correct variant (it sounds more natural for me, because my native language is Russian).