 This spoonful is all about ME, MYSELF, and I. But please don't think I'm going to share my entire life story! Instead, my aim is to explain the difference between these three self-centered words. I is a great place to start. When it makes an appearance, it's ALWAYS a SUBJECT pronoun. Consider the following sentence. I tutor kids and adults at the local library. Since I'm the one doing the tutoring, I am the SUBJECT. The ones receiving the tutoring - kids and adults - are the OBJECTS. (The local library answers where the tutoring occurs and is a prepositional phrase.) In contrast, ME is ALWAYS an OBJECT pronoun. Even if you write, "Give that ball to me!" the person who has the ball (most likely you) is the SUBJECT, not me. But where I see the most errors is when ME pals around with another name. Here's an incorrect example: "Are you coming to band practice?" Eric asks Sue and I. (WRONG!) "Are you coming to band practice?" Eric asks I. (WRONG AGAIN!) How do I know I is incorrect? REMOVE THE OTHER NAME! Eric asks me sounds right but Eric asks I does not! Unfortunately, Eric asks Sue and I doesn't sound quite as bad, and grammar checkers don't typically catch this error. Here are the same two sentences written correctly. "Are you coming to band practice?" Eric asks Sue and me. (CORRECT!) "Are you coming to band practice?" Eric asks me. (CORRECT AGAIN!) Now you might be wondering when Sue and I would be appropriate to use. When we share the SUBJECT, of course! Here's an example: Sue and I both read to children. Who does the reading? Sue and I. That makes us the SUBJECT. Who are the OBJECTS of our action? The children. MYSELF is another story altogether. It's known as a reflexive pronoun (no, there will not be a quiz), and is only used in addition to I. Why is it called reflexive (based on the root 'to reflect')? Because the SUBJECT and OBJECT are the same. Here's an example: I write down notes to remind MYSELF about important appointments. I just need to remember where I put the notes afterward! That's a wrap. I hope you'll never be confused about ME, MYSELF, or I again. If you like this or any of my other spoonfuls, please feel free to share! Sincerely, Laura Fineberg Cooper A Spoonful of Grammar
6 Comments
10/6/2019 11:54:39 am
I can see why "Eric asks Sue and I" would be a common mistake. It doesn't sound as strange as other examples. 10/6/2019 12:18:25 pm
Dear Marcia, I believe there has been an increase in the improper use of these pronouns over the past few years. It almost feels like using I and myself incorrectly seems more polite or politically correct to the speaker. For example, "The awards were given to Tom and myself." Or "Please join Tom and myself at the celebration." 10/6/2019 04:38:56 pm
Dear Amy,
Marianne Knowles
10/7/2019 04:41:25 pm
Yes exactly! "Me" sounds selfish to our ears unless it's something unpleasant, such as, "stop hurting me!" But it's no excuse for getting it wrong. I do like Laura's suggestions for allow My leniency in speech.
Kathy Bui
10/11/2019 08:07:52 am
As always thank you so much, Laura! Leave a Reply. |
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