There was an interesting discussion at work today. When do you use "I" and when do you use "me" when saying something like "Bob and I"? In school, it was drilled in me that it was always "I". But apparently that's not always the case anymore.
For example, let's use "Bob and I would like to see you tomorrow." If you removed Bob out of the picture, then the sentence still makes sense..."I would like to see you tomorrow. That's when you know you've used the right word.
However, let's use "Jane is going to phone Bob and I tomorrow." If you removed Bob out of the picture, then the sentence no longer makes sense..."Jane is going to phone I tomorrow." But if we use "me" instead, "Jane is going to phone me tomorrow", then that makes sense. So in this case, "Jane is going to phone Bob and me tomorrow" is correct.
Why was it drilled into us in elementary school that you should always use "I"? With this new-fandangle rule in place, it doesn't sound right to me, but alas this is the rule.
Now I'm wondering if there rules out they're that their not telling me. Where's Bob when you need him?
1 comment:
It's not a new rule, it's just you've just discovered a piece of English grammar -- subjects & direct objects.
A subject is the actor for the verb:
I am going outside
Bob is going outside.
Bob and I are going outside.
A direct object is acted upon by the subject:
I saw you outside
I saw Bob outside
You saw me outside
You saw Bob and me outside.
Parents tell their kids not to say "Bob and me saw you outside" because "me" is a direct object form (it's in the accusative case). Kids interpret that as a hard rule that you have to say "Bob and I" regardless what the sentence is. If Bob and I are outside and you see us, then it is correct to say that you saw Bob and me outside.
It's an old rule that people don't quite understand.
Post a Comment