Grammar Mishaps: I vs. Me
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When do you use "I" and when do you use "me"?
Examples of the correct use of "me"
- Please come with Julia and me to the park.
[Please come with me to the park. (Please come with I to the park doesn't make sense.)]
- I heard the teacher talking about him and me.
[I heard the teacher talking about me. I heard the teacher talking about him. (I heard the teacher talking about I, or I heard the teacher talking about he doesn't make sense.)]
Examples of the correct use of "I"
- Georgia and I went to the beach this weekend.
- She and I have to make a cake.
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Thoughts, Comments or Questions?
I agree! Myself is commonly misused too. According to "The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style," myself should be used either intensively (I myself have seen that many times) or reflexively (I gave myself a break). I think the easiest way to think of it is if it can be replaced with "I" or "me" then it shouldn't be used. For example, it is incorrect to say, "Paul and myself are going to the park." It would be correct to say, "Paul and I are going to the park." Thanks for the comment!
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!
How do I know when to use a or an before a noun/subject
Thanks for the question, Jenny. I wrote a hub about it: http://hubpages.com/hub/Grammar_Mishaps__A_vs_An
Seems to me the distinction is disappearing or is reversed in common usage to the point where "I" sounds stilted--as in "It's I." My ear telle me most people say "It's me." And It's her rather than It's she.
I also hear that problem often, Ralph. I also hear people saying, "I" instead of "me" because they think "I" should be used more often; they think they are being grammatically correct. E.g., "Do you want to come with Sharon and I to the game?" The correct usage is, "Do you want to come with Sharon and me to the game?" If you take out "Sharon", you would say, "Do you want to come with me to the game? You wouldn't say, "Do you want to come with I to the game?" Yes, the same is true with "her" and "she". Thanks for the comment, Ralph!
When should you use got and when should you use have? Is there a specific grammar rule? Thanks
Hi Amy,
When you are speaking of a possession it is possible to use "have" and "got" in the same sentence; e.g., I have got a car, or I've got a car. However, this usage is more British English; I would prefer just "have"; e.g., I have a car.
Hope that helps!
Great tip!
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
dn,
"Me" is the object of the verb "is". It is not the subject. If it were the subject, then you would use "I". Thanks!
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
Hi Allison,
The correct sentence is, "I didn't know that he was younger than I." The easiest way to explain it: you wouldn't say, "me is young"; you'd say, "I am young," so "I" is correct. Thanks!
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. : ]
Hi Gabby,
You are correct, it would be "My mom and I were watching a movie." It wouldn't make sense to say, "Me was watching a movie", but "I was watching a movie," does make sense. You have to change the "to be" verb "were" to "was", but the rule still works. Thanks for reading and the comment!!
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!
Hi Nithu,
The correct usage is "I". "The Union delegates who are going to the convention in Goa are Ralph, Nancy and I." It sounds a bit cleaner to say, "Ralph, Nancy and I are the Union delegates attending the convention in Goa." Hope that helps!
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!
No problem, Nithu.
The voice doesn't matter here. You would say, "I will convene the meeting;" "Ralph will convene the meeting;" and "Nancy will convene the meeting." So, in your sentence the correct usage would be, "The meeting will be convened by Ralph, Nancy and I." If this sounds odd, you can always reword the sentence, "Ralph, Nancy and I will convene the meeting." I hope this makes sense. I'm a bit tired, off to sleep. ;)
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?
Hi Allison,
Whether or not your sentence is correct depends on the rest of the sentence. For example: My Jayma and I went out to dinner; or will you come to dinner with my Jayma and me? Both of these sentences are correct. The easiest way to know if you are using "I" or "me" correctly is to take out "my Jayma" in each sentence and see if the sentence makes sense, e.g., I went out to dinner. Will you come to dinner with me? You wouldn't say, me went out to dinner or will you come to dinner with I. Hope that helps!
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".
Hi Cara,
Yes, it should be "I". You wouldn't say, "Me is hot." Thanks for the clarification for Allison. I didn't catch that!
Allison,
You were correct, "My Jayma and me," or "This is a picture of my Jayma and me." You could take out Jayma and it would read, "This is a picture of me." Sorry about that!
Robin
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.)
Hi Ann,
"It is I," is the correct usage, e.g., It is I that answered the question. I answered the question. You wouldn't say, "Me answered the question."
Hope that helps!
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, If you wrote a biography, would it be correct to title it "A WRITER LIKE I" or "A WRITER LIKE ME"? Robin
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
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."
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.
Is it appropriate to say, "My husband and I are going to the mall."?
I just wanted to say thanks for a simple and easy to understand article.
So what is the correct answer for Lindas question, because the Queen of England always addresses the public with "my husband and I......"
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)
i convinced my teacher i was right, with that grammar thingy, i sorta am
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
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?
what is correct: "The only people to visit were Mom and me" or "The only people to visit were Mom and I"?
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?
Jack NY,
The correct sentence would be, "The cake is for Jack and me." You would say, "The cake is for me." You wouldn't say, "The cake is for I."
Who really cares what is correct? It's all just communication.
comment on the use, or over use, of "now" as a transitional word in tv newscasts.
THanks alot i learnt lot .and i hope to do my presentation very well.Thank you! i like this web site very much!!
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.
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
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
Could someone help me. is "James, Pip and I" or "James, Pip and me" correct?
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"
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
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)
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.
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
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.
Hey, thanks for the blog. This helps a lot!
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?
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...
Which sentence is correct? 1. “He is younger than me” or 2. “He is younger than I.” Please explain why. Thanks VERY MUCH!!
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.
How do you know when to use "which" or "that"?
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."
Is this sentence correct? "Those that have commented on the conversation between Mike and I seem to agree with Mike.
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?!
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.
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
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)
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?
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.
Will it be "John and I bought some clothes" or "John and me...."?
Incredible website!!!
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.
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.
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.
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".
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.
Quick heads up, this is actually not correct. just fyi
Her experiences on plantations provided her with characters, who seem as real as you and me.
Should it be ........you and I?
Why
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)
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.
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."
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."
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
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.
livelonger says:
3 years ago
I've noticed a lot of people use "myself" when they don't know when to use "I" or "me", like in this example: "To RSVP, please send an email to John and myself"