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Prose Parade
Grammar and writing basics


Me and I

Pronouns are sticky for so many people. After all, they’re the only words we have that have case endings. In fact, they change form completely. Let’s deal with the one that gets murdered the most frequently: when to use I and when to use me.

OK, I is used as the subject of a sentence or a clause. For example, “I pledge allegiance.” Or, “Wherever I go, you follow.”

Me is used as a direct object and object of a preposition, For example, “He threw me in the air.” Or, “Give it to me.”

OK, those were easy and understandable. However, when there is more than one object, especially when used with a preposition, there’s a tangle. To most of you this sounds right, “Let’s keep this between you and I ” Wrong! See the preposition “between”? That means the proper word is me. Between you and me!!

One way to check whether you’re using the right form is to remove the other object and see whether it sounds right. Between I sounds a little funky, doesn’t it. Even if you wrote or said, between I and you, it still sounds wrong.  Actually, just out of habit you wouldn’t say between I and you. You’d say between me and you, and that’s sort of all right except English convention says to put yourself last in any similar construction.

Now in the future, when you’re editing your own work, which you do religiously, I know, you’ll stop when you see an I or me and make sure it’s the right word. Remember, grammar check only gives you a choice and a feeble definition. You must know for yourself which word is the right one.

That’s all a girl can ask for.

« Then and Than – True Facts or Real Facts »

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admin
Date:
March 30, 2009 um 9:50 am
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