When you tell a story, you may wonder if it is better to say "Hector and I went to the movies" or "Hector and me went…". In this case you would say "Hector and I went to the movies", but "Hector and I" is not always correct. "The race was won by Hector and I" is just as grammatically incorrect as "Hector and me won the race". It's easy to choose the right way if you remember a few simple steps.
Steps
Method 1 of 1: Choose between "I" and "Me"
Step 1. Remember the case difference between pronouns
Both "I" and "me" are pronouns that we use relative to ourselves, but "I" is nominative, suitable to be used as the subject of a sentence or proposition, while "me" is accusative, suitable to be used as an object of a verb.
- Nominative: the nominative case is used when the pronoun is the subject (example: "I rode in the car") or, in very formal contexts, after a form of the verb "to be" (example: "It is I" would be formal, "It's me" would be informal).
- Accusative: the accusative case is used when the pronoun is the object (example: "He drove me to work") or with prepositions (example: "between you and me", not "between you and I").
Step 2. Think like a native
Most native speakers rarely make case errors with these pronouns, except when they are paired with other nouns as part of a compound object or subject (unfortunately, problems with pronoun case are more common today than twenty years ago). Although hardly anyone would say "Harry took I in his car", you often hear phrases like "Harry took Jordan and I in his car." If you are trying to figure out which pronoun to use in a sentence with a compound subject, try the sentence using only the pronoun part of the subject. If the pronoun in question, "I" or "me", sounds good by itself, then that's the one to use in the compound subject.
Step 3. Avoid talking "Bizarro"
In the Superman comics, there is an imperfect version of Superman called Bizarro, who does everything backwards. It says "Goodbye" when it means "Hello", and it says things like "Me am so sad to see you" (meaning "I'm glad to see you"). Bizarro, and a little common sense, can help you learn the correct use of pronouns: if you move the subject to another place in the sentence, and refer it to you and only to you, you can easily find out the cases in which the The use of "I" and "me" makes your speech similar to Bizarro's.
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Examples:
- Harry and me went to the store. (Change it so Harry gets out of the situation and talks only about you - you would never say "Me went to the store").
- "Who's at the door?" Answer "It's me". (No, no, no! You should actually say "It is I". Consider a similar phrase: "That writer is me." Try reversing the order of the words, and you'll end up with "Me am that writer". Use nominative pronouns like "I" after the forms of "to be" (e.g., am, are, is, was, were, be, being and been). The verb "to be" functions as a sign of equality, and hence the nouns and pronouns on either side of the "sign of equality" are nominative.
- The cake was made by Justin and I. (Would you ever say, "The cake was made by I"?)
Step 4. Use pronouns correctly with comparatives to prevent any ambiguity
Write the entire comparison to decide which pronoun to use.
- She likes Winifred more than I do. (This phrase could be reduced to "She likes Winifred more than I", but the former may seem more natural).
- She likes Winifred more than she likes me. (This phrase could be reduced to "She likes Winifred more than me").
Advice
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Put "I" and "me" after the other nouns or pronouns.
- "Elliot, Amanda, and I are friends" (not "I, Elliot, and Amanda are friends").
- "The teacher saw him and me" (not "The teacher saw me and him").
- Here's a nice tip: Just remember that "me" never did anything.
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Now try it for yourself.
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Is that correct ?: "You and me are going to the movies later."
Answer: No. The right subject would be "You and I". Remove the other pronoun from the sentence and say it again: "I (not" me ") am going to the movies later."
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Is that correct ?: "My mom is taking Javier and I to the mall."
Answer: No. The proper subject of the verb "taking" is "Javier and me." Remove Javier from the compound and try again: "My mom is taking me (not" I ") to the mall.")
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Is that correct ?: "She is better at art than me."
Answer: No. The correct pronoun would be "I". Write the whole comparison: "She is better at art than I am (not" me ").
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- Teachers, don't forget to check out the "wikiHow Related" section for other articles on grammar that you can easily incorporate into your lessons.
- Use "myself" only if you are is the subject is the item. Right: I am driving myself to the store. Wrong: Would you like to come to the store with Jon and myself?
- Remember to be sure of the correct use before starting to speak; try to mentally repeat the sentence you are going to say to see if you are using the right word.
- Practice mentally before speaking until it becomes an automatic mechanism.
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In informal situations, try using "yours truly" if in doubt or if the right form sounds wrong. It can replace "I", "me", or "myself".
- "He's better at it than yours truly".
- "Amanda and yours truly did that."
- "It's yours truly, ma; I got a little message for ya" (from Nelly's "My Place").
- "I can take care of yours truly" (from Merriam-Webster).
Warnings
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Do not use "myself" in place of "I" or "me". "Myself" can be both a reflexive pronoun and an intensive pronoun.
- David and myself were present. The pronoun should be in the nominative case: "David and I were present."
- The event was catered by Elizabeth and myself. The pronoun should be in the genitive case: "The event was catered by Elizabeth and me."
- I cut myself. The sentence is correct because the pronoun is reflexive; the subject did something to himself.)
- I saw it myself. (The sentence is correct because the pronoun is intensive; it adds emphasis.
- Be careful with your pronouns when you change diathesis. Remember that "by" is a proposition and requires the accusative case in sentences like "The story was written by me". This sentence would like the nominative case if written in active diathesis: "I wrote the story."
