A small blog post that packs a lot of punch, the new Grammar Grenade series will help blow apart all those confusing spelling, grammar and punctuation problems, once and for all!

I vs. Me

I’m sure we’ve all run into one of those situations where we’ve conversationally backed ourselves into one of those “I vs. Me” corners.

Is Gerry going to the movies with Tony and I? Or with Tony and me?

I see the “I vs. Me” confusion lead to mistakes again and again – on TV, in person and online. The main culprit of this confusion? Over-complicating the issue.

People believe “I vs. Me” is harder than it actually is, which leads them to pick the one they believe sounds more intelligent, but is usually wrong.

Luckily, there’s an easy trick to clearing the confusion.

By removing what we’ll call the “middle man” from the sentence, it’s easier to see what makes sense:

Gerry is going to the movies with Tony and I.

If you kick “Tony and” out of the sentence and read it as, “Gerry is going to the movies with I,” it doesn’t sound quite right, does it?

Gerry is going to the movies with Tony and me.

This time if we kick “Tony and” out, the sentence sounds perfect, right? “Gerry is going to the movies with me.” 

This simple trick will have you not only “sounding” like you know your stuff, but will have you actually knowing it!

Now, go pull on your self-righteousness and sneer* at all those who obviously don’t  know this great little trick – or better yet, share this post with them! After all, sharing is caring!

Which grammar issues would you like to see explained in future Grammar Grenades? Leave a comment below or email me. I’ll be happy to explain them.

Amanda MiliAmanda Mili
Your Business, By Design
Ottawa, Ontario – Serving Canada and the U.S.
email: [email protected]
website: www.amandamili.com

 

*Some readers have interpreted “go pull on your self-righteousness and sneer” literally, as though I am sincerely suggesting the belittling of others. In truth, I was being facetious to create a stronger dichotomy between keeping this lesson to oneself, and taking the obvious desired action of sharing this post and knowledge with others.

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