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One of the most often confused grammar conundrums is when to use Me vs. I in a sentence.
It was drilled into many of us at a young age to always say “John and I” and not “John and me” (for example) when talking about an activity you did with another person. It was thought that you’d sound stupid if you used the word me.
Not true at all! Often me is the correct word to use.
Let’s break it down now so you always know the correct word to use, no matter what the sentence. Stick around for the mini quiz at the end of this blog post to test your knowledge.
Table of Contents
What Is the Rule for Using I or Me in a Sentence?
I and me are both personal pronouns or first-person singular pronouns. When it comes to deciding if you should use I or me, it depends on if the word is a subject or an object in the sentence.
I is a subject pronoun or nominative pronoun. If the pronoun is the subject of the clause, use I.
Me is an object pronoun. If the pronoun is the direct or indirect object of the verb or the object of the preposition, use me.
Examples of Me vs. I in a Sentence
Incorrect: Mary and me went to the movies last night.
Correct: Mary and I went to the movies last night.
Mary and I are the subjects of the sentence, so the correct word is I.
The trick to figuring out which word to use is to leave the other person out of the sentence. You would never say “me went to the movies last night,” so I is the correct choice here.
Incorrect: Jackie made a cake for Barry and I.
Correct: Jackie made a cake for Barry and me.
In this example, Barry and me are the objects of the sentence, so me is the correct word.
Just as in the first example, if you leave Barry out of the equation, it’s easier to see which pronoun you should use. You would never say “Jackie made a cake for I,” so me is the correct choice here.
Another trick for determining whether you should use me vs. I is to consider the position of the word in the sentence. I almost always comes before the verb, and me almost always comes after the verb.
Here’s one exception where I comes after the verb:
Incorrect: It wasn’t me who called the cops!
Correct: It wasn’t I who called the cops!
This is a really tricky construction that trips a lot of people up. Due to common usage, “It wasn’t me” sounds correct; however, it should really be “It wasn’t I.” In this sentence, “wasn’t” is a linking verb that should be followed by a predicate nominative. A predicate nominative completes a linking verb and refers to the same thing as the subject, i.e., renames the subject. I is a nominative pronoun, so it is the correct choice here.
What is the Difference Between the Subject and the Object?
The subject is the person or thing doing the action. Subject pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, who, and whoever.
Example: We ate all the cake.
“We” are doing the action in the sentence.
The object is the person or thing having something done to them/it. Object pronouns include me, you, him, her, it, us, them, whom, and whomever.
Example: They warned us not to go into the abandoned warehouse.
In this example, something is being done to “us.”
Another grammar rule where subject vs. object is important is who vs. whom.
Should It be “Between You and Me” or “Between You and I”?
To get straight to the point, it should always be “Between you and me,” never “Between you and I.”
Why though? The word between is a preposition. A preposition is used to link an object with another part of a sentence to show the relationship between them. Prepositions must be followed by an objective pronoun, i.e., me, him, her, us, etc.
Some of the confusion lies in the fact that you is both a subjective pronoun and an objective pronoun, so we can be forgiven for getting mixed up. Many of us are still a bit traumatized from being corrected so many times for saying things like “John and me went to the shop” that we’re afraid to use the word me. We sometimes hypercorrect now and choose the wrong one.
More Grammar Posts
Different From vs. Different Than
Me vs. I Quiz
Choose the correct word in each sentence. You can find the answers at the bottom of this blog post.
- She told Sally and I/me to be ready by one o’clock.
- Between you and I/me, I knew she was guilty the whole time.
- Jack and I/me went to the beach to collect seashells.
- It wasn’t I/me who stole the bread.
- He told she/her and I/me what he wanted for his birthday.
Final Thoughts on Me vs. I
I hope this blog post has helped you understand when to use me vs. I in a sentence. It all depends on whether a word is the subject or object of the sentence.
Although many people don’t follow this rule when speaking casually to each other, it’s important to follow it when writing.
Want to Learn More about Grammar?
If your grammar is a little rusty and you’d like to improve it so that you can become a better writer or proofreader, there are plenty of resources out there to help you. One resource I highly recommend is Grammar Lion. This in-depth course will help you brush up on your grammar through its useful examples and fun quizzes.
Commas tripping you up? Take this free comma course to refresh your knowledge.
Check out my review of Grammar Lion here.
Me vs. I Quiz Answers
- She told Sally and me to be ready by one o’clock.
- Between you and me, I knew she was guilty the whole time.
- Jack and I went to the beach to collect seashells.
- It wasn’t I who stole the bread.
- He told her and me what he wanted for his birthday.
Punctuation Posts
How to Use an Ellipsis: Chicago vs. AP Style
En Dash vs. Em Dash: When and How to Use Them
How to Use an Apostrophe (and Mistakes You Need to Avoid)
How to Use Commas (and Mistakes to Avoid)
Colon vs. Semicolon: When and How to Use Them
How to Use Quotation Marks (and the Difference between Single Quotes vs. Double Quotes)
