Is it just me or do high school English classes slide further and further away with every year? Thank goodness we have "Grammar on the Porch". Good old Grammar loves to visit The Letterbug from time to time for a nice cup of tea and a natter about the English language. She knows you know - really she does. But just in case...Image kindly supplied by Toni Grote - visit http://www.artisttonigrote.blogspot.com/ to see more of her beautiful artwork.
'Me' vs. 'I'?
Good afternoon dears, it's lovely to see you again. Today I'm going to tell you about me...
I...
Me...
Here is the point: Do you ever stumble when it comes to writing (or talking) about yourself in a way that is grammatically correct? Let's set the record straight on the use of "me" versus "I" once and for all.
As a child I was often scolded for referring to "Me and Mummy", or "Me and Billy". My mother would remind me, "It is 'Mummy and I', not 'Me and Mummy' dear." So successful was my mother at teaching me this, that I came to believe that "I" was almost always a better option than "me" if ever I was unsure.
The truth is that each of these delightful little pronouns has their rightful place in the English language. Let Grammar show you...
INCORRECT: Please deliver an extra large jar of strawberry conserve to Grandpa and I.
CORRECT: Please deliver an extra large jar of strawberry conserve to Grandpa and me.
How do you check whether your sentence is correct? EASY!
Simply remove the other person or people in the sentence and read it again. The answer should be clear.
Please deliver an extra large jar of strawberry conserve to [remove "Grandpa and"] I.
INCORRECT: Please deliver an extra large jar of strawberry conserve to I.
CORRECT: Please deliver an extra large jar of strawberry conserve to me.
And there you have it dears, another of life's grammatical stumbling blocks cleared up in a matter of minutes. Now speaking of strawberry conserve, does anyone else have a hankering for a lovely Devonshire tea.
Scones anyone?
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