The Case for the Correct Objective Case
Good advice for you and me.
Is it just me?
Is it because of my classical Catholic education during which we had grammar hammered into our heads day after day?
I don’t want to be a grammar Nazi, but hearing people who should know better (announcers, politicians, educators) use “I” as part of a multiple-noun object drives me up a wall. It gives me a feeling akin to someone raking their fingernails down a blackboard.
I am talking about things like:
- Thanks for meeting with Mike and I.
- She talked to my wife and I about the problem.
- They called Mary and I to thank us.
- Keep this between you and I.
Arrrrrrgh…!
The Quick and Dirty
Here is a quick and dirty way to find out which first-person pronoun you need to use.
Just remove the other objects from the sentence and see what happens to the first-person pronoun. In the case of the above examples, it immediately becomes apparent that “I” is wrong (because it is the subjective case).
- Thanks for meeting with I. => Thanks for meeting with me.
- She talked to I about the problem. => She talked to me about the problem.
- They called Mary I to thank us. => They called me to thank us.
Adding another object does not change the case of the first-person pronoun, so the correct form of these sentences would be:
- Thanks for meeting with Mike and me.
- She talked to my wife and me about the problem.
- They called Mary and me to thank us.
As for the final sentence, “between you and I” is never correct. It is always “between you and me.”
- Keep this between you and me.
Objective Case Pronouns
me, us, him, her, them, whom
Note that there is no “I” among the objective case pronouns.
