I continue to encounter a common grammatical error that irks me – the misuse of “I” and “me.” Particularly, the incorrect use of “I” in place of “me” bothers me. Hearing phrases like “Me and Jimmy are going to the bar” has become so common that it no longer surprises me, although it still grates on my nerves.
However, what really gets under my skin is when people use “I” incorrectly, thinking it makes them sound more intelligent. This should not be the case.
Consider the following examples:
1 Between you and I, I think they will break up.
2 He split the pizza with her and I.
3 She gave my sister and I some of her clothes.
All instances of “I” in the above examples should actually be “me.”
From a grammatical standpoint, “me” is used as the object of a preposition or verb, while “I” is a subject.
Generally, the subject comes at the beginning of a sentence, and the objects follow. Therefore, “I” should precede “me” in a sentence, with “me” typically appearing closer to the end.
In example 1, the first “I” should be “me” as it is the object of the preposition “between,” while the second “I” is the subject.
Example 2 demonstrates the object of the preposition “with.”
Example 3 illustrates indirect objects of the verb “gave.” Just as no one would say “She gave we” or “She gave I,” the same applies when there are two objects.
Now that we have clarified this, let’s strive for better grammar usage.
