As a branding and marketing agency, we stress every detail that goes into our work including using proper grammar.
Correct grammar not only defines your work, but it also defines you as an individual. Just like a company has a brand, you have a brand; and you want to be viewed as sophisticated and credible. Grammar plays a significant role in marketing yourself as a polished and trustworthy brand. In this blog, we will address the commonly made grammatical mistakes regarding the pronouns “I” and “me.”
Issue: I vs. Me
People often write in the same way that they speak, and they commonly use “I” and “me” incorrectly. Many people have a difficult time deciding which pronoun to use in sentences referring to multiple individuals.
The rules:
“I” is the subject of a sentence.
“Me” is the object of a sentence.
You should always be mentioned last on the list.
Incorrect Examples:
1. “Me and Lily are going out for dinner tonight.”
In this sentence, you are going to dinner with her; therefore, you are the subject. No one is taking an action upon you. Also, the pronoun referring to you should be placed last, after anyone else on the list.
The corrected version of this sentence would be, “Lily and I are going out for dinner tonight.”
2. “Nancy took Wesley and I to the amusement park.”
In this example, you are the object. Nancy is the subject who is taking you to the park and applying an action on you. “I” is the subject of a sentence, while “me” is the object. Although this seems like such a simple rule, many people tend to overlook it.
The corrected version of this sentence would be, “Nancy took Wesley and me to the amusement park.”
Correct Examples:
Joyce and I had an amazing time yesterday.
Our grandmother knitted Nina and me a beautiful scarf.
After a hectic morning, my colleague, Lucy, and I took a coffee break.
Quick Tip:
Try taking away all of the other people in the sentence and interchange “I” and “me” to see if the sentence makes sense. The sentence, “Peter and I went to the library,” would be right, because even without Peter, “I went to the library,” is grammatically correct, while “Me went to the library,” is not.
Grammar is the foundation to writing exceptional copy. Even if you’re not a professional copywriter, author or editor, proper grammar will make you and your work so much more credible.