Me vs. I – What’s the Gist?
Properly using personal pronouns such as me and I is based on which case is needed in a particular sentence.
- Me is an objective case personal pronoun.
- I is a nominative case personal pronoun.
What pronoun you choose boils down to how it functions in the sentence. More on this later.
How to Use Me in a Sentence
Me definition: As mentioned earlier, the word me is an objective case personal pronoun. To take it a step further, this pronoun is first person singular. In other words, the pronoun me refers to the one who is speaking or writing.
For example:
- A couple from work invited my husband and me to join them at the local microbrewery. (Personal Pronoun)
- The doctor gave me a prescription. (Personal Pronoun)
- Between you and me, we need to exercise more often. (Personal Pronoun)
Objective case pronouns are used when the word needed functions as a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a prepositional phrase. Please note that all three of these terms use the word object as in objective case.
In the examples above, the first sentence has a direct object, the middle has an indirect object, and the last sentence has an object of a prepositional phrase.
How to Use I in a Sentence
I definition: The personal pronoun I functions the same way as me in that it is a first person singular personal pronoun, which also refers to the one who is speaking or writing. The difference is that I is in the nominative case.
For example:
- My husband and I were invited to a local microbrewery by a couple from work. (Personal Pronoun)
- The attending doctor in the room is I. (Personal Pronoun)
Nominative case pronouns, on the other hand, are used when the word functions as a subject or a predicate nominative in a sentence. Please note that a predicate nominative uses the word nominative as in nominative case.
In the examples above, the first sentence has a pronoun subject and the last sentence has a pronoun predicate nominative.
By the way, a predicate nominative is found after the predicate (or verb) that expresses a state of being or a linking verb and renames the subject. That renaming is why the pronoun should be in the nominative case—it is reflecting the subject. (State of being verbs: am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been; Linking verbs: seems, appears, grows, likes, feels, etc.)
Admittedly, the sentence above with the predicate nominative sounds awkward. This unfamiliarity is due to the prevalent usage of the objective case pronouns being used for predicate nominatives.
For example, the television series This Is Us is grammatically incorrect because the objective case us is being used for a predicate nominative. The show should have been called This is We. But it doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it.
Outside Examples of Me vs. I
- Early casualties of the crash could be two pipelines under development — Phillips 66’s Liberty and Red Oak projects– that are set to connect the Rocky Mountains and Cushing, Oklahoma, to the port. “It wouldn’t surprise me if those lines were delayed,” Strawbridge said. –Houston Chronicle
- Land Rover started building utilitarian trucks in Britain in the late 1940s. The vintage trucks in particular are getting popular today because they are so iconic and unique. A vintage Land Rover 110 is not comfortable to drive. It is not luxurious. It reminds me of the quote often attributed to Dolly Parton: “You’d be surprised how much it costs to look this cheap.” –The Wall Street Journal
- But this does not lessen the pain we feel today in my newsroom. In my 30 years at The Plain Dealer, some as a union leader, I have experienced firsthand the changes, both good and bad, in our profession. I have stood side-by-side with respected colleagues, fighting for their jobs and the ideals of journalism we all strive to represent. I am empathetic, but do not pretend to fully realize their anguish. –The Plain Dealer
- One afternoon, a few days after I moved to Dakar, Senegal, in 2015 to take on the role of West Africa bureau chief for The New York Times, I braved my first solo driving trip into the busy downtown to look for the city’s version of IKEA. –The New York Times
Phrases That Use Me and I
There are many idioms and phrases that use either the word me or I, including:
Give me a break: A statement that expresses doubt or vexation toward someone.
- When the fellow student cut in front of the lunch line, she exclaimed, “Give me a break!”
So help me: Is a statement emphasizing that he/she means what is being said.
- The father warned the reluctant child, “If you don’t go to bed now, so help me . . .”
I love you: A term of endearment from the speaker to another.
- The man was delighted to hear her say, “I love you” for the first time.
I am the boss: A statement of fact indicating that one has a position of authority.
- After inquiring, the new employee heard his supervisor say, “I am the boss.”
How to Remember These Words
A chart for each of the objective case and nominative case personal pronouns may help you remember which one to choose when writing or speaking:
| Objective Case Personal Pronouns | ||
| Person | Singular | Plural |
| 1st | Me | Us |
| 2nd | You | You (all) |
| 3rd | Him/Her/It | Them |
| Nominative Case Personal Pronouns | ||
| Person | Singular | Plural |
| 1st | I | We |
| 2nd | You | You (all) |
| 3rd | He/She/It | They |
If you have a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a prepositional phrase, pick an objective case pronoun. If you have either a subject or a predicate nominative, choose a nominative case pronoun.
One more mnemonic device can give you that last double check. If you have a compound item, drop the first noun or pronoun and see if the sentence makes sense.
For example, compare the following two sentences:
- The couple invited my husband and me to their house.
- The couple invited my husband and I to their house.
In this example, if you drop the noun phrase my husband, which sentence makes more sense? The couple invited me, or the couple invited I? The first sentence makes more sense because me is acting as the direct object of the sentence.
Getting rid of the compound item may make the choice more clear to you.
Article Summary
Is me or I correct? Knowing the cases of the personal pronouns will go a long way in helping you use the right pronoun.
- Me is an objective case personal pronoun.
- I functions as a nominative case personal pronoun.