Tunaltay

"I" and "Me" Which of these sentences correctly use "I" and "me"?
1. Harry and I will take the annual report to the meeting.
2. The winners of the contest were Morgan and I.
3. She called Harry and me on Saturday.
4. The argument was between Sally and me.
5. Andrew said, "Mother gave the keys to Elizabeth and me."
All five sentences correctly use "I" and "me."
The first sentence is correct because "Harry and I" are the subjects of the verb "will bring." Much of the confusion with pronouns occurs in compound constructions. If we remove "Harry and" from the sentence, we can easily hear which pronoun is correct: we would never say "Me will bring the annual report."
Another instance in which the pronoun "I" is correct is when we have a linking verb and need a predicate pronoun to rename the subject. Think of a linking verb as a mathematical equals mark: winners = Morgan and I. If both sides of the linking verb are equal, then we should be able to reverse the sentence and still have it make sense: "Morgan and I were the winners" conveys the same meaning as "The winners were Morgan and I." Since we would never say "Me was the winner," neither should we say "The winner was me." (Notice that once again it is easier to discern the correct pronoun if we get rid of the compound and focus on the "I" or "me" as if it were alone.)
The third sentence is correct because "called" is an action verb, and "Harry and me" are its direct objects: they are the ones who were called. It's easy to hear that "me" is correct in this construction if we remove "Harry and": "She called me on Saturday" sounds correct, while "She called I on Saturday" obviously sounds wrong.
In the last two sentences, "me" is correct because it serves as the object of the prepositions "between" and "to." As in every other case, simply removing the compound usually enables us to hear which pronoun is correct: we would never say "Mother gave the keys to I."
TEST YOURSELF: Do any of these sentences correctly use "I" or "me"?
1. Before you leave, please give your check to Bobby or I so we can confirm your reservation.
2. She asked if Martha and me could find speakers for the program.
3. She encouraged Doug and I to attend the afternoon sessions of the program.
4. The argument between Cindy and I lasted for several weeks.
5. The committee members are Bill Lewis, Sandra Saulisbury, Judy Copeland, and I.
ANSWERS TO LAST WEEK'S TIP ON COMMON VERB ERRORS:
The Questions:
1. All of us in the agency wish to express our appreciation to John Doe, whose many contributions we could not hardly do without.
2. Most people could care less if their grammar is incorrect when they are speaking.
3. The employees in our office are so use to making duplicates on the photocopy machine that they are paralyzed when it is broken and can hardly get their work done.
4. We can hardly wait for our vacation in Colorado, for the ski resorts there are suppose to be some of the best in the country.
The Answers to this week's tip:
1. we COULD HARDLY do without
2. COULDN'T [or COULD NOT] care less
3. so USED to making duplicates
4. SUPPOSED to be some of the best

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