Monday, April 15, 2013

ME or I ?



Does it ever frustrate you when popular song lyrics are grammatically incorrect? There are several songs out there that misuse "you and I" ... *sigh*

Here are the basic rules:
* When used as the subject of a sentence, I is the correct pronoun.
* When used as the object of a verb or preposition, me is the correct pronoun.

It gets tricky when you use a compound subject or object, but the rule is the same. If it is a compound subject, use I. If it is a compound object, use me.

For example, here are some correct sentences:
I love my children. (subject of sentence)
My children love me. (object of verb)
My husband and I love our children. (compound subject)
Our children love my husand and me. (compound object)

For more information on the topic check out these popular websites:
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/between-you-and-me.aspx (but keep in mind, this blog post was written in 2007 BEFORE the Lady Gaga song titled "You and I" - - - the song this blogger references is NOT the Lady Gaga song)
http://oxforddictionaries.com/us/words/i-or-me

Can you think of any popular songs that violate grammar rules? Share!

11 comments:

  1. I have a doubt. Which usage is right: "This is I" OR "This is me"?

    I think it's the latter, but I'm not sure...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This = subject
      is = verb
      ME = object

      Since the pronoun is the object, ME is the correct pronoun to use.

      Delete
  2. This is one that takes a while for kids to learn, but I've been proud to see that mine are finally getting it right (at least most of the time).

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  3. No, songs don't frustrate me unless I wake up with one looping in my thoughts. It doesn't make a difference if it's grammatically correct, or not. I still can't get back to sleep.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I still have trouble using "me". I know when I should but I want everything to be "I". It just sounds better. Then there's my son who says things like "Me and Kim went to the store." I think he may do it just because it makes me crazy.

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  5. The correct usage of this was something I remember learning in high school and the way to tell still sticks with me. The only time I ignore the rules for this is when writing dialogue.

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  6. Me. It's always about me. :D Just kidding. Been trying to teach this to my kids!!

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  7. I think I can get my head around the compound part - what would happen if you took away the other part, right?

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  8. Margo, you've chosen a very intersting subject for the Challenge. I'll be scrolling through.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey Margo, thanks for visiting and following my blog:D It's so fun to see how we post the same subjects (and check out the different choices for various letters.) Good examples here. I probably should have used more on my post.

    See you tomorrow:)

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  10. I did some major learnin' on this one with the revision of my novel. I think I've got it down.

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