I or me

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Grammarist

I and me are pronouns that refer to the speaker or the self, and are used in different circumstances. Many people are confused as to when it is grammatically correct to use I and me. Pronouns take the place of nouns. Understanding the parts of speech such as verbs, nouns, pronouns, adverbs and adjectives and how they are used in grammar will improve your English communication skills. We will examine the ways in which the pronouns I and me should be used, as well as some examples of how to use them in sentences.

I is subject pronoun and should be used as the subject of a sentence. The subject of a sentence is the person or thing that the sentence is about, or the person or thing that is doing the action. Other subject pronouns are you, he, she, it, we and they. In a sentence, the subject usually comes near the beginning. A subject pronoun is also known as a nominative pronoun. I is a first person, singular, personal pronoun. You, he, she, it, we and they are also personal pronouns, and may take the place of either common nouns or proper nouns.

Examples

I am going to the store.

Sometimes, I love to play with teddy bears.

Me is an object pronoun and is used as an object of a sentence. The object of a sentence is the person or thing that the action is happening to. Other object pronouns are you, him, her, us, them. In a sentence, the object usually comes after the verb in the sentence, or in the predicate of the sentence. Me is a first, person, singular personal pronoun.

Examples

The dog looked at me.

Joe tickled me until I was out of breath.

Most problems with the use of the words I and me arise when the sentence contains a compound subject or a compound object. A compound subject consists of two or more nouns joined with a conjunction, and a compound object consists of two or more nouns joined with a conjunction. An important thing to remember is that the pronoun I and the pronoun me must always appear as the last noun or pronoun when constructing a compound subject or a compound object.

Examples

John and I will leave tomorrow.

The exhausted dog and I slept on the couch.

I couldn’t believe it would rain on Sandy, Julio, and me.

Mother took my sister and me to the zoo.

If you are confused as to whether you should use the pronoun I or the pronoun me in a compound subject or compound object, temporarily omit the other nouns in the subject or object.

Incorrect:

The muddy dog jumped all over Jim and I.

The muddy dog jumped all over I.

Correct:

The muddy dog jumped all over me.

The muddy dog jumped all over Jim and me.