What is the correct form of English when referring to oneself as well as to another individual? Some book titles use "Henry and Me" or "Elvis and Me," but "I" instead of "me" is usually the proper form, isn't it?
2 Answers | Add Yours
The easiest way to decide whether to use the Nominative Case or the Objective Case pronoun is to say the pronoun by itself without the other noun or pronoun. For instance, with Henry and me are going to the concert, try Me are[is] going to the concert. Does anyone, even those who use substandard English say this?
This is a mere hearing test which is not failsafe, but sometimes it works. The grammatical rule is that the use of the Nominative Case is required for Subjects of sentences, regardless of whether they are used with another subject as part of a compound subject, or they are used alone. The Objective Case is used when a pronoun is the Indirect Object, Direct Object, Object of a Preposition. Here are examples of each:
Subject: Henry and I watched the movie. [say--I watched the movie to check the case]
Indirect Object: Marie gave Henry and me the briefing. (briefing is the direct object) [say-- Marie gave me the briefing to check the case]
Direct Object: Julie telephoned Henry and me yesterday [Julie telephoned me]
Object of a Preposition. Ted went to the game with Henry and me. Ted went with me]
A listing of which personal pronouns are Nominative or Objective can be accessed easily on the internet. Below is a link that will connect you.
1 Reply | Hide Replies ▲
thank you very much for the explanation. appreciate it
The grammatically-correct way of referring to oneself and to another individual is to say "you and I." That is what is taught in elementary school grammar or English classes. When in the course of normal every day conversation, however, it is not only common, but generally accepted, for someone to use the pronoun "me" instead of "I."
Book authors and publishers have considerable latitude in how they title their work. Because "me" often sounds better than "I" in many literary contexts, the former pronoun is more likely to be used. The 1987 film "Withnail and I" obviously used the grammatically proper method, as did the original producers of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "The King and I," but artistic license allows for either when naming a book, play, film, or other type of art.
Join to answer this question
Join a community of thousands of dedicated teachers and students.Join eNotes