It's time for another little lesson from the English teacher.
Several people have asked me to address the use of I and me. These two little words are amazingly useful but are often misused. I've found that mistakes involving the use of these words is a pet peeve of many folks.
I and me are both personal pronouns (words that take the place of nouns). For the most part, the use of pronouns comes very naturally to native English speakers. One troublesome point is knowing when to use subjective pronouns and when to use objective pronouns. Here are the rules for that:
Use a subjective pronoun (I, you, he, she, they) as the subject of a sentence or phrase or following a linking verb (is, am, are, was, were, be).
Examples:
- I love chocolate.
- They left town this morning.
- This is she. (Think about how you learned to answer the phone!)
Use an objective pronoun (me, you, him, her, them) as a direct or indirect object of a sentence or the object of a preposition. Prepositions are the connecting words used to build phrases that usually describe relationship of some kind. Some common prepositions are about, at, before, between, by, for, from, of, on, to, and with. The word or words following a preposition are the objects of the preposition. When you use a pronoun as the object of a preposition, you need an objective pronoun.
Examples:
- Charlie bit me! ("Me" is the direct object of bit.)
- Pam made me a pillow. ("Me" is the indirect object of made.)
- This book is all about her. ("Her" is the object of the preposition about.)
Now, here's where it gets tricky. When you were very small, you probably said to your mom something like, "Me and Sally are going to ride our bikes." And your mom probably said, "Don't say 'me and Sally'; say 'Sally and I.'" She was trying to teach you that it's polite to say the other person's name first, then say your own name. She was right about that. And she probably had to repeat this rule of courtesy a number of times before you got it. The important part of that lesson was being polite, not using good grammar. But you need to know that you should say "Sally and I" ONLY when you need the subject of a sentence or phrase. If the words "Sally and I" are serving as the object of a phrase, then you need to switch to "Sally and me."
Examples:
- Sally and I are going to the movie.
- Mom baked cookies for Sally and me.
- Please take a picture of Sally and me.
- If you have any questions, just ask Sally or me.
There's an easy way to know whether to use "Sally and I" or "Sally and me." Just take "Sally" out of the sentence for a second. Would you say, "Mom baked cookies for I"? "Please take a picture of I"? Or "Just ask I"? No, of course you wouldn't; you would naturally say "me" instead of "I." So if you would naturally say "me," then you should use "me" in conjunction with the other person's name.
Your mom was right: it IS polite to say the other person's name first. But choose to add "I" or "me" based on how you're using the words in a sentence.
Here's an example: "Let's keep this just between you and I." Between is a preposition, so you need an object of the preposition. The correct wording is "between you and me."
Here's a little quiz for you.
- My husband and _____ (I or me) just celebrated our anniversary.
- I love this photo of my husband and _____ (I or me) from our wedding day.
If you answered "I" for number 1 and "me" for number 2, you're right!
Please let me know if you have any questions about English grammar or if there's a particular point you'd like for me to address in one of these little lessons. I want these to be a blessing to you. Leave me a comment if there's a particular point of grammar you'd like for me to address. Feel free to email me (RichellaP (at) gmail (dot) com) if you have a specific question. I'd be happy to help if I can!
FAQs
The correct choice is 'me' because 'Terry and me' is the object of the verb 'told' and 'me' is the object pronoun: My teacher told Terry and me to collect the books. Use 'I' when it is the subject of the verb, as in 'Terry and I told the teacher to collect the books. '
Is it my teacher and me or my teacher and I? ›
The correct choice is 'me' because 'Terry and me' is the object of the verb 'told' and 'me' is the object pronoun: My teacher told Terry and me to collect the books. Use 'I' when it is the subject of the verb, as in 'Terry and I told the teacher to collect the books. '
What are the rules for using I and me? ›
Knowing when to use me and I can be confusing, so here is a quick guide: Use me when you're talking about an action done to, toward, for, with, or without you. And use I whenever you're the one doing the action.
How do you teach the difference between I and me? ›
Ask students how they think I and me differ? If no knows, explain that I is the subject -- it does the action, while me is the object -- it receives the action. Then ask volunteers to come up with sentences using each pronoun.
Is it Sarah and I or Sarah and Me? ›
Use "I" when it is the subject of the sentence and use "me" when it is the object of the sentence. The correct statement is "Happy Birthday from Bob and me." The phrase "Bob and me" is the object of the preposition "from" so you should use the object pronoun "me."
Which is grammatically correct me or I? ›
"I" is the subject of a sentence, while "me" is the object, meaning that you should use "I" if you are the one acting, while "me" is the word to use when an action is done to you. Ex: I ate the fish. Ex: The fish ate me.
Which is correct I am an English teacher or I am a English teacher? ›
'I am a teacher of English ' is the correct option. 'I am an English teacher' is good too. Of course, there is a tiny bit of ambiguity, especially if you happen to be English as well. 'I teach English ' is even better if you don't want 'English teacher' to be your primary identity.
What is the grammar rule for me and you? ›
I is a subject pronoun, and the subject is the person or thing doing the action as in "I went to the store." Me is an object pronoun, and the object is the person or thing the action happens to as in "Alex liked me." Use you and I when it is the subject of the sentence; use you and me when it is the object of the ...
Do I say John and I or John and Me? ›
You can use John and I to start a sentence, and when the speaker (I) is the subject of the sentence. On the other hand, John and me comes at the end of a sentence, and is used when the speaker (I) is the object of a sentence.
Which is correct, Sally and Me or Sally and I? ›
You should use "Sally and I" for the subject of a sentence and ""Sally and me" for the object.
Use the pronoun "I" when the person speaking is doing the action, either alone or with someone else. Use the pronoun "me" when the person speaking is receiving the action of the verb in some way, either directly or indirectly.
Does me go first or last? ›
The same rules apply to sequencing when "me" is the object of a sentence. So, "me" always comes last with multiple objects. Correct: Clarissa cooked dinner for John and me.
What is the I and me theory simplified? ›
This process is characterized by Mead as the “I” and the “me. ” The “me” is the social self and the “I” is the response to the “me. ” In other words, the “I” is the response of an individual to the attitudes of others, while the “me” is the organized set of attitudes of others which an individual assumes.
Is it older than me or I? ›
If it's a preposition, "than me" is correct, because "me" is the object of the preposition. But if it's a conjunction, "than I" is correct, because "I" is the subject of an understood verb: "He is older than I am." Many writers on usage temporize, but Roy H.
Is it Marian and me or I? ›
It is correct to say “ Mary and I are going to the store.” This is correct because “Mary and I” are the subject of the sentence. But it is also correct to say “ Mom gave the cuddly puppy to Mary and me to hold.” This is correct because now Mary and me are the object of the sentence not the subject.
Is it Jenny and me or I? ›
In sentence a), Jenny and me/I are the subjects of the verb joined. Therefore, the subject pronoun, I, is considered correct. You will certainly hear native speakers say, “Jenny and me,” and it may be acceptable in spoken English, but most traditional grammarians and English teachers will disapprove.
Do we say John and me or John and I? ›
You can use John and I to start a sentence, and when the speaker (I) is the subject of the sentence. On the other hand, John and me comes at the end of a sentence, and is used when the speaker (I) is the object of a sentence.
Is it my siblings and me or I? ›
Depends on the grammatical case. If it is the subject, “I” is correct. If it is an object (direct/indirect object, object of a preposition), “me” is correct.
Is it my roommates and me or I? ›
Use the pronoun "I" when the person speaking is doing the action, either alone or with someone else. Use the pronoun "me" when the person speaking is receiving the action of the verb in some way, either directly or indirectly.
