‘I‘ and ‘me‘ are the two personal pronouns that I find most people misusing including the native speakers and non-native speakers of English. While the rule is rather simple, it is imperative that we understand the rules of a subject and an object first. Subject is the noun/pronoun that performs an action while object is the noun/pronoun that receives an action. ‘I‘ is a pronoun that performs an action and hence, is used as a subject whereas; me is an objective pronoun and hence, is used as an object.
The common mistake that people tend to commit is using ‘me‘ as a subject. Let’s look at a few examples:
1) “Me and Roger are going to the pub this evening.” In this sentence, both ‘Roger’ and ‘me‘ are going to the pub. So, the correct way of saying this is, “Roger and I are going to the pub this evening.”
2) “My brother and me play tennis every day.” Here too, ‘me‘ is wrongly used instead of ‘I‘. Hence, the correct way of putting this sentence is, “My brother and I play tennis every day.”
Another time when people make mistakes with these two pronouns is when they are coupled with another noun/pronoun. For instance, consider the following examples:
1) “It was I who did the project” or “It was me who did the project.”
Quite confusing? Not to worry. Who did the homework? Me or I? Who is the subject? It is “I” and not “me”. Hence, “It was I who did the homework,” is correct.
2) “My manager gave a task to my colleague and me/I.”
Let’s simplify the sentence in the following manner:
“My manger gave a task to my colleague” + “My manager gave a task to me” = “My manager gave a task to my colleague and me (not I).”
Tips to remember I and Me
Use ‘I’ when you refer to it as a subject (performs the action). Use ‘me’ when you refer to it as an object (receives the action). Never use “me” at the start of a sentence or as a subject. Never use ‘I’ as an object.
The common mistake that people tend to commit is using ‘me‘ as a subject. Let’s look at a few examples:
1) “Me and Roger are going to the pub this evening.” In this sentence, both ‘Roger’ and ‘me‘ are going to the pub. So, the correct way of saying this is, “Roger and I are going to the pub this evening.”
2) “My brother and me play tennis every day.” Here too, ‘me‘ is wrongly used instead of ‘I‘. Hence, the correct way of putting this sentence is, “My brother and I play tennis every day.”
Another time when people make mistakes with these two pronouns is when they are coupled with another noun/pronoun. For instance, consider the following examples:
1) “It was I who did the project” or “It was me who did the project.”
Quite confusing? Not to worry. Who did the homework? Me or I? Who is the subject? It is “I” and not “me”. Hence, “It was I who did the homework,” is correct.
2) “My manager gave a task to my colleague and me/I.”
Let’s simplify the sentence in the following manner:
“My manger gave a task to my colleague” + “My manager gave a task to me” = “My manager gave a task to my colleague and me (not I).”
Tips to remember I and Me
Use ‘I’ when you refer to it as a subject (performs the action). Use ‘me’ when you refer to it as an object (receives the action). Never use “me” at the start of a sentence or as a subject. Never use ‘I’ as an object.
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