Which
is correct: you and me or you and I? Some books say
you and me is correct and others say it should be you
and I.
Waris
from Saudi Arabia asks:
Could
you please explain to me the use of I and me? If I
knock on the door and someone asks: Who is it? should I say
It is me or It is I. If someone says: I discovered
this website by accident should I say: I too have discovered
it by accident or Me too….?
Rosanna
from France writes:
Why
do we say The King and I and not The King and me?
I am told that not even the Queen herself knows the right answer!
You do say she and me, don't you and not she and I?
Roger
Woodham replies:
I
- me Personal
pronouns in English have one form (I, he, she, we, they) when
they are used as the subject of a sentence and another form
(me, him, her, us, them) when they are used as the object
of a verb or follow a preposition (with me, after us, etc).
This applies to all personal pronouns, as listed above, except you
and it which remain the same in both subject and object forms:
We
gave them some chocolates and they gave us
some wine.
I'll
lend you my flared skirt if you'll lend me
your blue denims.
Can
you see Paul and Julie? You can't see me, but I'm standing
behind him and beside her in the photo.
So whether you say you and I or you and me in co-ordinate
phrases depends on whether they function as subjects or objects
in the sentence:
You
and I should go and speak to Trevor about this matter.
Trevor
has indicated that he wants to interview you and me.
Note that
in colloquial informal British English, people often use you and
me as subjects, even though it is known to be incorrect. This
has led to an assumption that you and me can never be correct and
people (even the Queen perhaps) then sometimes use you and I as objects
instead of the correct form you and me.But
for your own convenience, keep a clear distinction between them as
the same rule applies to other personal pronouns, i.e it's she
and I when they are the subject of the clause and her and me
when they are the object:
Do
you know Geoffrey? Well, he and I are going to Stamford
Bridge to watch Chelsea on Saturday.
They
wouldn't listen to her or me when I said we couldn't go
with them.
Me
too! - It's me!
In
very short answers like this, we usually prefer the object form:
Who's
that behind the sofa? ~ It's me!
I
want to go to Chris Cornell's concert at the London Astoria next
Friday. ~ Me too!
The
response Me too is particularly useful if you readily agree
with someone about something. Note the difference in tone between
the use of also and too in the following sentences
where also is used in a longer, more considered response:
I
might get one of those new mobile phones. ~ Yeah, I'm also
thinking of trading up.
I
might get one of those new mobile phones. ~ Yeah, me too.
object
pronouns after as…as / like / but / than
Similarly,
we normally use object pronouns after as…as, like, but
meaning except and than, although subject + verb
is sometimes possible as an alternative. Compare the following:
He
can't run as fast as me, so he's better off as a defender.
He can't run as fast as I can, so he's better off as a
defender.
They
say you look exactly like me when I was eighteen
They say you look exactly as I did when I was eighteen
Well,
that's Tracy for you! Nobody but her would go to shopping
wearing gloves!
Everybody,
except Tony and me, got back before sundown.
I'm
taller than her, so I should stand at the back.
I'm taller than she is, so I should stand at the back.
If
you would like more practice more please visit our in the You, Meand Us part of our
website.
