Between You and Me!

I have a confession. I have a problem knowing when to use the word "I" or "me."

"You and me are going to win," is grammatically incorrect, I know. "I" is going to win. Likewise, "In the future, clearance for lunches over $100 must be obtained from Max or I," is improper usage.

The word "I" is used when "you" is the subject of a sentence.

"I" does things. "I like that," you say. You don't say, "Me like that," unless you are Tarzan. "Me" makes an appearance when things are done to "You." "He really beat me on that deal," is correct usage.

"I" is the nominative form of the pronoun and "me" is the accusative form.

"Between you and me" is the correct form. Using "me" in the sentence is correct because it is the object of the preposition "between." Objects of a preposition should be in accusative form. Likewise, it is incorrect to say: "Me like that", and correct to say "I like that" because "I" is the nominative form and the nominative form is the correct form to use since "I" is the subject of the sentence.

We don't say give the ball to I. Thus: give the ball to John and me. If John
were left out, me would stand as the correct usage.

The formula is simple: take the other out of the sentence and you will know immediately which is correct.

None of this really makes sense to me because I learned it long ago and I still make mistakes. It is easier to just rewrite the sentence so that it is not a problem. If you notice that I have used the words "me" or "I" incorrectly in the newsletter, don't tell me.

I misused it a couple of months ago and I am sorry.

Shawn:I usually decide which is right (in the more questionable cases) byseeing if I would use 'we' or 'us' when substituted. If 'we' then I use 'I', if 'us' then I use 'me'. So in your first case, I would say "we are going to win", which means I would also say "you and I are going to win". If I were to say that "the decision is up to us", I would then say that "the decision is up to you and me", similarly I would say, "Give the ball to us." For some reason, we have an easier time correctly using 'we' and 'us',even though the rule is the same. Perhaps it is because there are so many that try to improperly correct first person references to 'I', which has jumbled the synaptic connections in the language center of our brains. For example, most people would try to correct "banish you and me" to "banish you and I" although the latter is incorrect, because we all understand that they would "banish us" you know.

Especially if we were Emily Dickinson, right? 

I’m nobody! Who are you?	

Are you nobody, too?	

Then there ’s a pair of us—don’t tell!	

They ’d banish us, you know.	

How dreary to be somebody!	

How public, like a frog	

To tell your name the livelong day	

To an admiring bog! 

M: Thanks, that did help. Maybe I finally understand. 

Love, M

Shawn: Oh yes, you pick up every subtle aspect.