Because I’m (pretty much) obsessed with grammar, I have
grammar pet peeves. At the top of my list is the misuse of I and me. I hear people
say these wrong in person and on TV all the time and I’ve read many books where
they’re used incorrectly. For some grammar things, I’m willing to let the
mistakes go because they’re part of a dialect. Not so with I and me. When people
misuse them, I cringe. Sometimes, I correct. (Yes, I know this drives people
crazy, but I just can’t help it.) It sounds SO WRONG. It’s like nails on a
chalkboard…only worse.
What makes it so bad is that the rule is simple. (And yes, it's a rule, not a guideline.)
If it’s the subject
of a sentence, then it’s I.
If it’s the object
of a sentence, then it’s me.
Okay, so, if you’re not sure what the subject or object
is, that might make the rule a little harder. Basically, if you’re the person
doing the action in the sentence, you’re the subject. If you’re the person
receiving the action (or stuck in a prepositional phrase), you’re the object.
You might be still confused…so I’ve come prepped with examples. First, here’s
the picture I’m going to use for these examples:
This is from a trip my family and I took to Alaska a few
summers ago, but don’t get any wrong ideas here. I don’t like fishing or fish. Note
that I’m not even touching the fish. I can’t even tell you what kind of fish it
is. I picked this picture because no one else in my family is in it.
Anyway, back to the point. If I were to caption the
photo, I could say: “I went to
Alaska a few summers ago.” Here, I’m the subject of the sentence, so I use I.
Or I could say: “This is a picture of me in Alaska a few summers ago.” Here, I’m
the subject of the sentence, so I use me.
But, of course, this isn’t where people have problems. It’s
when they throw other people into the mix that they get confused. They say stuff like: “This is conversation is
between you and I.” And then I
cringe, correct, and cover my ears. So back to captioning the picture.
Though my brother isn’t in this picture, I could say: “My
brother and I caught fish in Alaska
a few summers ago.” Or: “This crewman and
I are holding up my fish.” These are correct. If you want wrong examples,
put me in place of I and read the sentences aloud. Do they
sound wrong? They should. And many people get this part right.
It’s when they’re the object of the sentence that people
get it wrong.
It’s NOT correct to say: “This is a picture of my fish
and I.” Ugh. Did that sound right? It shouldn’t. It should be: “This is a
picture of my fish and me.” It’s the
same rule as above, when the fish wasn’t involved, where most people use it
right, but for some reason that fish confuses the hell out of people. Because
it’s just wrong to say: “This is a picture of I.”
Similarly, if I cut off the start of the sentence and
caption it with just a phrase, it shouldn’t read: “my fish and I in Alaska a
few summers ago.” Because you’d never say this: “I in Alaska a few summers ago.”
Right? (Or, at least, I hope you wouldn’t. Please say you wouldn’t.) You should
say: “me and my fish in Alaska a few
summers ago.” Then I wouldn’t have to cringe.
When I’m writing, I’m very careful to use I and me where they’re supposed to be…and not just because I don’t like
it when they’re used incorrectly. Yes, many people use it wrong, but I don’t
think that makes it okay. (It’s like how people say irregardless even though it’s
so wrong. Even Word is telling me with its squiggly red line to change it. And
if you Google it, the definition is regardless…as if Google’s trying to tell
you that you’re wrong. Why waste your time with the extra ir if you don’t have
to?)
My hope is that if I use I and me right, people
who read what I’ve written will also use it right. Even if I get one person to
stop using I in a prepositional
phrase, that’d be worth it. Of course, for that to happen, I’d have to get my
stuff out there where more than just my critique partners can read it. I’m working
on that.
No comments:
Post a Comment