Things, read and heard, that made me cringe. I'm sure they'll do the same to you - and make you feel just a little more knowledgeable today because you, grammar friends, know better. ;)
"Our newest little kissable edition..." (Arguably, this could have been done intentionally, poetically, but I'm pretty sure the author meant addition.)
"But homework and reading are extremely important to my husband and I..."
"Max overheard my brother and I yelling at each other."
"Look whose front and center."
"It's not going to put you and I back where we belong."
"...and that the seatbelt or LATCH system are installed correctly." (This last one was on CNN.com, folks.)
Showing posts with label I vs me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I vs me. Show all posts
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
The One I Hate the Most
It's everywhere, and it makes me cringe (at the least) or shout (at the most) whenever I hear, or - even worse - see it: the I/me pitfall.
When I was young, the worst grammar mistake we could make was probably saying something along the lines of "Me and Tonya went to school" or the slightly less scandalous "Tonya and me went to school." I mean, everyone knows not to say that!
Sadly, drilling this into school children's heads without ever making sure they knew the underlying grammatical logic has turned us into a nation of people saying things like, "She went to business school with Max and I" (AHHHHHHHhhhhhhh!!! Cringe, cringe) in an effort to use "correct" grammar. The worst is when I hear news anchors or characters (who should know better) on TV shows perpetuating this travesty of proper speech.
Obviously, there's confusion on this point. And the kicker is that people who sincerely want to use correct grammar often fail, accidentally, when it comes to this particular issue.
Going back to cases (the various forms of a particular word that indicate its grammatical function) and understanding when to use which case of a word is a guard against this - and many - questions of grammar.
Both I and me are first person singular pronouns. The difference is that I is a subject pronoun and me is an object pronoun. In simple terms, we use I when I am the one doing the action of the sentence and me when the action is being done to or with me.
So:
"I am going to the movie with Crystal and my friends."
"My friends and I are going to the movie with Crystal."
"Crystal is going to the movie with my friends and ME."
To drive the point home:
"Mom told Jerry and me the secret password."
"Daniel took her and me to the fabric store."
You can "test" your usage by taking the other people out of the sentence. For instance, you'd never say "Crystal is going to the movie with I" or "Daniel took I to the fabric store."
I could go on, but I think it's clear now. Yes? Please send any questions regarding this or other grammar situations my way. I'd be thrilled to rant about their answers.
When I was young, the worst grammar mistake we could make was probably saying something along the lines of "Me and Tonya went to school" or the slightly less scandalous "Tonya and me went to school." I mean, everyone knows not to say that!
Sadly, drilling this into school children's heads without ever making sure they knew the underlying grammatical logic has turned us into a nation of people saying things like, "She went to business school with Max and I" (AHHHHHHHhhhhhhh!!! Cringe, cringe) in an effort to use "correct" grammar. The worst is when I hear news anchors or characters (who should know better) on TV shows perpetuating this travesty of proper speech.
Obviously, there's confusion on this point. And the kicker is that people who sincerely want to use correct grammar often fail, accidentally, when it comes to this particular issue.
Going back to cases (the various forms of a particular word that indicate its grammatical function) and understanding when to use which case of a word is a guard against this - and many - questions of grammar.
Both I and me are first person singular pronouns. The difference is that I is a subject pronoun and me is an object pronoun. In simple terms, we use I when I am the one doing the action of the sentence and me when the action is being done to or with me.
So:
"I am going to the movie with Crystal and my friends."
"My friends and I are going to the movie with Crystal."
"Crystal is going to the movie with my friends and ME."
To drive the point home:
"Mom told Jerry and me the secret password."
"Daniel took her and me to the fabric store."
You can "test" your usage by taking the other people out of the sentence. For instance, you'd never say "Crystal is going to the movie with I" or "Daniel took I to the fabric store."
I could go on, but I think it's clear now. Yes? Please send any questions regarding this or other grammar situations my way. I'd be thrilled to rant about their answers.
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