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When to use “I” and when to use “me.” Login/Join 
Freethinker
Picture of sigfreund
posted
This is one of the most common grammatical mistakes. Learning the simple rules that govern when to use the pronoun I and when to use me can make a big difference in how other (educated) people view the state of one’s education.

I and we are subject pronouns.
Examples: I am going home, We went to Europe last year.

Me and us are object pronouns.
Examples: The pitcher threw the ball to me. The drill sergeant made us do pushups.

Most reasonably literate English speakers would use the pronouns correctly in the above examples. What trips up a very large number of people, though, is when they’re used with compound (more than one) subjects or objects.

Proper: My brother and I are going home.
Improper: My brother and me are going home.

Again, most people will probably get that right, but what about these:
The drill sergeant made Joe and I do pushups.
The drill sergeant made Joe and me do pushups.
My father bought my brother and me ice cream.
My father bought my brother and I ice cream.

In both cases, the proper pronoun is me, and how do we know? (Not “how do us know?”)

The simple way of determining the proper pronoun in such sentences is to eliminate the compound object. How do these sound?

The drill sergeant made I do pushups.
My father bought I ice cream.

The word to or at usually indicates an object follows:
The insurgents shot at me.
The insurgents shot at us.
The insurgents shot at my squad mates and me. (Not “squad mates and I.”)
The groupies threw their panties to me.
The groupies threw their panties to us.
The groupies threw their panties to the guitarist and me. (Not “guitarist and I.”)




6.4/93.6

“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
— Plato
 
Posts: 47365 | Location: 10,150 Feet Above Sea Level in Colorado | Registered: April 04, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
My other Sig
is a Steyr.
Picture of .38supersig
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She and I went to Gemini when I been with him an 'em M&Ms.




 
Posts: 9112 | Location: Somewhere looking for ammo that nobody has at a place I haven't been to for a pistol I couldn't live without... | Registered: December 02, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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It seems to be increasingly common for people to incorrectly use “myself” instead of “me” or “I”.

My wife and myself went to the store.
 
Posts: 8944 | Location: The Red part of Minnesota | Registered: October 06, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Too soon old,
Too late smart
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I'm going to copy and paste these rules so I don't loose them


_______________________________________

NRA Life Member
Member Isaac Walton League

I wouldn't let anyone do to me what I've done to myself
 
Posts: 1487 | Location: NoVa | Registered: March 14, 2009Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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Allow myself to introduce.....myself.
 
Posts: 879 | Registered: December 20, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ammoholic
Picture of Skins2881
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I was always told just remove the other person and that solves it.

The drill sergeant made Joe and I do pushups.

If you still get it wrong after that, you're beyond help.



Jesse

Sic Semper Tyrannis
 
Posts: 20756 | Location: Loudoun County, Virginia | Registered: December 27, 2014Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Not really from Vienna
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Next please do one on “bring” and “take”. Thank you.
 
Posts: 26852 | Location: Jerkwater, Texas | Registered: January 30, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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quote:
Originally posted by MNSIG:
It seems to be increasingly common for people to incorrectly use “myself” instead of “me” or “I”.

My wife and myself went to the store.


My wife and I went to the store.

Unless you're from Jamaica. Then it's acceptable to say "Me went to the store."

Also for cookie monster, as in "me want cookies."
 
Posts: 6650 | Registered: September 13, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Staring back
from the abyss
Picture of Gustofer
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Aren't we supposed to be using "xe" now?


________________________________________________________
"Great danger lies in the notion that we can reason with evil." Doug Patton.
 
Posts: 19975 | Location: Montana | Registered: November 01, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Plowing straight ahead come what may
Picture of Bisleyblackhawk
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Moi was happy with your thread Razz


********************************************************

"we've gotta roll with the punches, learn to play all of our hunches
Making the best of what ever comes our way
Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may
And theres a cowboy in the jungle"
Jimmy Buffet
 
Posts: 10580 | Location: Southeast Tennessee...not far above my homestate Georgia | Registered: March 10, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ice age heat wave,
cant complain.
Picture of MikeGLI
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In the “me vs I”debate, a lot of people seem to think “I” always prevails and it hurts my brain.
“Mute point” level hurt. I just bite my knuckle and stare out the window.




NRA Life Member
Steak: Rare. Coffee: Black. Bourbon: Neat.
 
Posts: 9676 | Location: Orlando, Florida | Registered: July 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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quote:
Originally posted by MNSIG:
It seems to be increasingly common for people to incorrectly use “myself” instead of “me” or “I”.

My wife and myself went to the store.

This. I see it quite a bit on my guys’ paperwork. Usually it’s, “Myself and ____ went to...” or “He and her said” etc.

Of course, try showing someone a photo, asking, “Is this he?” and not getting an odd look!
 
Posts: 385 | Registered: November 22, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
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But... but... using “I” as an object pronoun makes me sound all educated. It’s true. I hear it used that way on CNN!! I gives me gravitas!

Seriously, though, regarding the use of the word “myself.” I’ve wondered if the increasing use of the reflexive “myself” in English is being driven by the influence of Spanish speakers, where their native tongue uses reflexive constructs much more so than in English. Just a hunch.



Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus
 
Posts: 8202 | Location: Utah | Registered: December 18, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Ice age heat wave,
cant complain.
Picture of MikeGLI
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quote:
Originally posted by sigcrazy7:
But... but... using “I” as an object pronoun makes me sound all educated. It’s true. I hear it used that way on CNN!! I gives me gravitas!

Seriously, though, regarding the use of the word “myself.” I’ve wondered if the increasing use of the reflexive “myself” in English is being driven by the influence of Spanish speakers, where their native tongue uses reflexive constructs much more so than in English. Just a hunch.


Possibly. Or people are fucking idiots. Or the education system encourages this shit.




NRA Life Member
Steak: Rare. Coffee: Black. Bourbon: Neat.
 
Posts: 9676 | Location: Orlando, Florida | Registered: July 12, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
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Thank you.



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 30545 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Go ahead punk, make my day
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So... what do WE like for I and Me usage...?

Wink
 
Posts: 45798 | Registered: July 12, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
I have not yet begun
to procrastinate
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Me worry about having enough money towards the end of the month before payday.
Grammer schammer....I got bigger fish to fried.


--------
After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box.
 
Posts: 3771 | Location: Central AZ | Registered: October 26, 2006Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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I am so tired of hearing the younger generation constantly say "me and my friend" did such and such.
 
Posts: 2559 | Location: Central Virginia | Registered: July 20, 2015Reply With QuoteReport This Post
אַרְיֵה
Picture of V-Tail
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quote:
Originally posted by NK402:

I am so tired of hearing the younger generation constantly say "me and my friend" did such and such.
That's nothing new. I'm 82, and I remember that from when I was a kid.



הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים
 
Posts: 30545 | Location: Central Florida, Orlando area | Registered: January 03, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Objectively Reasonable
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[BOB MARLEY] Old pirates, yes, they rob I,
Sold I to the merchant ships...
[/BOB MARLEY]
 
Posts: 2452 | Registered: January 01, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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