[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

I’m not going to lie: the improper use of the pronouns me and I causes me to cringe.  Not as much as the plural-apostrophe debacle (please, please don’t use apostrophes to denote more than one of something), but it ranks pretty high on my irritation scale.  Here are some rules to help you — and me — get it right.

  • Use the pronoun I, along with other subjective pronouns like she, you, they, we and he when the pronoun is the subject of a verb.  For example:
    • He ate bacon.
    • We went shelling.
    • Lisa and I are driving to Vegas.  (The pronoun I, together with the proper noun Lisa, forms the subject of the sentence.)
  • Use the pronoun me, along with other objective pronouns like him, her, you, them and us when the pronoun is the object of a verb.
    • Paige thanked them.
    • The kitty followed Bailey and me to the door.  (The pronoun me, together with the proper noun Bailey, forms the object of the verb follow.)
  • Use the pronoun me, along with other objective pronouns; i.e., him, her, you, them and us when the pronoun is the object of a preposition.
    • Paige spent the day with Lisa and me.  (Me, together with Lisa, forms the object of the preposition with.)

To see if you’ve chosen the correct pronoun, remove the additional noun and re-read the sentence:

√ I am driving to Vegas.
X Me am driving to Vegas.

√ The kitty followed me.
X The kitty followed I.

√ Paige spent the day with me.
X Paige spent the day with I.

Do you know anyone who should be reported to the grammar police for committing this grammar crime?