Is it Just Me, or is the Difference Between ‘I’ and ‘Me’ Confusing?

Do you remember when you were a little kid, and you would ask your parents whether “me and Friend X could go out and play”? Do you remember being reminded that it is actually “Friend X and I”? When I was younger, I received this particular grammar correction from my parents all the time. And it led me to believe that one should use I in all instances when you are talking about two or more people, one of which includes you.

It wasn’t until I was older that I realized that the misuse of I and me is almost everywhere. As such, it is no surprise that I got this one particular grammar point wrong for most of my life. If you, too, find “I” and “me” confusing, then here are a few steps to remember how to use each word correctly.

1. Learn the difference between subjective and objective case.

The most important way to really learn any rule is to understand why it exists in the first place. “Me” is an objective pronoun, meaning it is used when it is referring to an object. An object, grammatically speaking, means that it receives action instead of causing action. So, for example, in the statement “Mike helped him,” Mike is the subject, because he causes the action. He helps him. “Him” receives help, and therefore is the object in the sentence. Remember the difference between actor and receiver, and knowing the difference between subjective and objective case becomes easy.

2. Learn the objective case pronouns of all subjective pronouns.

Now, to extend your ability to use all pronouns correctly, not just knowing when to use “I” or “me,” it is important to learn every objective case pronoun for its subjective counterpart. Memorize the following chart:

Subjective           Objective

I                            Me

He                        Him

She                      Her

It                               It

They                          Them

We                           Us

Who                          Whom

3. Do the singular test if still aren’t sure.

If you still aren’t quite sure, there is an easy test to determine whether you are using I or me correctly. Most people use the pronouns incorrectly when there are used in compound form. For example, “He and I went to the store” has a compound subject (multiple subjects). If you aren’t sure which pronoun to use, make the subject or object singular, using only the pronoun, like this:

“She sat on him and I.” -→ “She sat on I.”

The second sentence, once made singular, obviously looks and sounds wrong. Let’s try it again:

“Jeff and I are going to the store.”→ “I am going to the store.”

Here, the second converted sentence makes sense, indicating that the use of the pronoun is correct. If you were to replace the ‘I’ with ‘me’ you would see that it is clearly wrong: “Me am going to the store.”

Once you break down the reasons for rules, and you learn little tricks like the one above, you’d be surprised by how many of your grammar issues are resolved.

By-line:
Mariana Ashley is a freelance writer who particularly enjoys writing about online colleges. She loves receiving reader feedback, which can be directed to mariana.ashley031 @gmail.com.