Tweet
Remember back in elementary school when you learned the correct way to phrase sentences that involved you and another person? I do, and I clearly remember that they're supposed to be structured like this:
"He and I went to Disneyland."
"She and I are vegetarian."
So what happened that caused the rampant mangling of the English language as follows?
"Me and him went to Disneyland."
"Me and her are vegetarian."
Just like the simple test I described in the I vs me pet peeve, you can easily figure out the correct phrasing with this simple test: take out the other person, or take yourself out. For example:
"_____________ went to Disneyland." (him/he)
"_____________ went to Disneyland." (me/I)
For each of the above, plug in both choices:
"Him went to Disneyland."
"He went to Disneyland."
"Me went to Disneyland."
"I went to Disneyland."
In each case, it's obvious that the first choice is incorrect, right? Okay, so now you know which single choice is correct. Now go ahead and combine them:
"He and I went to Disneyland."
That's it! It's that simple.
Still not sure which word is correct? Please post a comment below, or contact us on Twitter.
I definitely agree! (Yes, I read your other pet peeve, with which I also agree.) But equally annoying for me as not knowing when to use he/she and I is not knowing when not to use it. It seems that most half-literate college graduates think it's always correct to say "and I," rather than applying the same test. If you wouldn't say "I" alone, "...and me" is perfectly correct.
ReplyDeleteWhere were these people in the 4th and 5th grades?
I don't know where they were! I shake my head in disbelief every time I hear "him and me had dinner" or "me and her went out." My grandchildren, who are currently 6 and 8, know the correct way to say it...so why don't adults?!
ReplyDelete