 CORRECT USAGE OF THE PRONOUNS "I" And "Me"
Pronouns have always been a problem when it comes
to usage not only to those learning English as a second
language but for native English speakers as well. The
problem is mostly in the use of the proper case especially
when the compounding of pronouns is involved. Care should
be taken in that if a transitive verb or a preposition
needs an object, the pronoun to be used should be in the
objective case. Similarly, when it is a subject that is
needed, whether in a sentence or in a clause, the pronoun
that can answer that need should be one in the nominative
case.
One time, while I was in some high school premises waiting
to pick up my daughter who was then working on a project in
environment, I overheard a teacher using the inappropriate
pronoun in his dialogue with the students. I had the notion
that he was trying to make an impression in his style of
speaking, having probably been corrected by fellow teachers
all too frequently before, and this is with regard to the use
of "I" and "me". He made the following remarks: "Yesterday,
Mrs. Mitchell was with my sister and I." I noticed him taking
a quick glance at me when he uttered the word "I", probably
thinking that if he had used "me" as he had always done in the
past, he would have been wrong, and if his fellow teachers were
around, they would have criticized him severely and saying,
"Hey Bob, how many times have I told you to use "I" and not "me"
in such sentence constructions?" So today, he was just applying
what he had learned, and he was trying to impress me and the
students under him! Unfortunately for him (though he was unaware
of it), he never realized how wrong he was! If his sentence
was "The man in the picture is I", he would have been right
because "I" is in the nominative case and what is needed is what
we call a "predicate nominative". (A predicate nominative, by
the way, is a noun or pronoun that refers back to the subject
and is preceded by a linking verb such as "is".) So, I felt
sorry for the teacher in that he used the pronoun "I" at the
wrong time, or, should I say, in a sentence where "me" was
the proper word instead. So, going back to that same sentence,
Bob should have said, "Mrs. Mitchell was with my sister and me."
The word "with" is a preposition, and as such, it needs an
object, and an object should be a noun (in this case, "sister)
or a pronoun (in this case, "me"). But of course, Bob is not
alone in making such errors, and they are not flagrant enough
to warrant castigation. Especially, when the error is camouflaged
by the presence of another word which makes the objects compound.
But the use of such words is actually easy as pie when you know
the rule governing the use of pronouns: For a subject, or for
a predicate nominative, use a pronoun that is in the nominative
case. For an object of a verb or of a preposition, use a pronoun
that is in the objective case. It's just that plain and simple.
So now, are you ready for a test?
Choose the correct pronoun in the parentheses in each sentence:
(Although there are several other pronouns, let us just narrow
the selections down to "I" and "me".) Good luck!
1. Where do the tall basketball players and (I, me) go for lunch?
2. This food is for my partner and (I, me).
3. When (I, me) and my friends reached Pampanga, we were happy.
4. The princess was looking at the king and (I, me).
5. The lovely queen and (I, me)are both attracted to the king.
6. It is about the teacher and (I, me).
7. Show your grades to your Mommy and (I, me).
8. It is the cook and (I, me) who should take the blame.
9. Take (I, me) in your arms, my dear.
10.You and (I, me) are friends, aren't we?
11.She is going to teach Pedro and (I, me) the fundamentals.
12.When it comes to gambling, the best ones are Rudy and (I, me).
13.The lawyers you're looking for are Richard and (I, me).
14.Everybody is going home now except Judy and(I, me).
15.They are all from Bacolor, Pampanga except John and (I, me).
16.Rhonda is as tall as you and (I, me).
17.Robert is stronger than you and (I, me).
18.This ball belongs to you and (I, me).
19.This secret is just between you and (I, me).
20.The teacher suspects you and (I, me) as the instigators.
21.We all went into the office - the president, the secretary and (I, me).
22.It is the story of the egg and (I, me).
23."Lord, is it (I, me)?" asked John.
24.Take Dorothy and (I, me) to the ball game.
25.Him and (I, me) are both in the objective case.
26.If your association offers such awards, let Ronnie or (I, me) know so
that we can notify everybody.
To find out if your answers are right, go down until you have
passed my big house below:
Oh my, that newspaper is still there on the porch! I'm still
probably asleep. But anyway, I left the answers down below.
1. I
2. me
3. I
4. me
5. I
6. me
7. me
8. I
9. me
10. I
11. me
12. I
13. I
14. me
15. me
16. I
17. I
18. me
19. me
20. me
21. I
22. me
23. I
24. me
25. me
26. me
Scores:
No errors - Wow! James Kilpatrick should give you an award
1 error - You're still very good Senor, but no cigar
2 errors - Fair
3 errors - Poor
10 errors - Very Poor - You need to take up a refresher course!
Note: Ernie Turla was an English teacher in the Philippines
for many years before coming to the U.S. in 1968 where he also
taught in one of the schools in the Pasadena School District
in California for three years.
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CHILDREN'S TEST ON PROVERBS
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