Writing Blog Number 2

20240504 I Or Me?

I Or Me?

So, this has come about because during my reviewing here on WdC, I have seen this error creep in more and more.

When do we use “me” or “I”?

So, this involves use of the first person pronoun, indicating the writer is the one the story happens to; this is first person Point of View. (For an explanation of Points of View, see: "20240121 Point Of View" )

Speaking in purely technical terms, “I” is the subjective, “me” is the objective.
         Easy, huh?

Okay, “I” comes before a verb.
         I went to the shops.
         I was shot by an arrow.

“Me” comes after a verb.
         He gave me a book.
         The arrow shot me.

“Me” also follows prepositions.
         The cat slept on me.
         The book was given to me.
         She winked at me.

The confusion comes when the narrator is not the only person being spoken about.
         Bob and I went to the shops.
         The dog licked Bob and me.
         Sue smiled at Bob and me.
                   NOT
         Bob and me went to the shops.
         The dog licked Bob and I.
         Sue smiled at Bob and I

So, how can we tell what is what?
         The simple rule of thumb is, if in doubt, split the sentence and see how it sounds. For example:
         Bob and I went to the shops.
becomes
         Bob went to the shops.
         I went to the shops.
That is how simple sentences work, so the initial Bob and I went to the shops. is correct.
On the other hand,
         Bob and me went to the shops.
becomes
         Bob went to the shops.
          Me went to the shops. (not good)
So the initial Bob and me went to the shops. is wrong.

Let’s look at another example:
         Sue smiled at Bob and me.
This breaks down to:
         Sue smiled at Bob.
         Sue smiled at me.
All good, so the initial Sue smiled at Bob and me. is the right way to go.
On the other hand,
         Sue smiled at Bob and I
breaks down to
         Sue smiled at Bob. (good)
         Sue smiled at I (not good)
Therefore, the initial Sue smiled at Bob and I is wrong.

There is one other time when this is often confused, and that is when the word between is used.
“Between” always involves two (or more) options, so there is not singular you can break it down to. However, “between” is a preposition, so it uses me.
         The ball went between Sue and me and then down the hill.
This is correct.
         The ball went between Sue and I and then down the hill.
This is not correct.
The reason this is an issue is that the second one sounds perfectly fine. In this case, swap the word “between” out for “into” and see if it makes sense.
         The ball went into Sue and me and then down the hill.
         The ball went into Sue and then down the hill.
         The ball went into me and then down the hill.
This is correct.
         The ball went between Sue and I and then down the hill.
         The ball went into Sue and then down the hill.
         The ball went into I and then down the hill.
The final sentence means this is not correct.

Finally,
Plurals
The plural of I is we.
The plural of me is us
Everything I explained above applies here as well.

This has been another technical post, but I do hope it helps someone.