Constance L. Lieber

May I rant and rave for a moment? Someone, somewhere had an English teacher who put the fear of saying “me” into him or her. As in: “Him and me went to the movies.” Use “I”! (not to mention, “he”). Ever since then, the survival of “me” has been precarious. Now, everyone is using “I,” whether or not it is correct. That Engish teacher has a lot to answer for! (And don’t even mention my ending a sentence with a preposition. As Winston Churchill so tellingly remarked: “That is the sort of arrogant nonsense up with which I will not put.”) The current use of “I” has become so much arrogant nonsense today, as if it were somehow the upper class, preferred way of saying “me.”

Think of it this way: Would you say, “He gave it to I”? Would you say, “He’s waiting for I”? Of course you wouldn’t. You would say “He gave it to me” and ‘He’s waiting for me.” Adding “my sister” or “his best friend” does not change that. You would therefore say “He gave it to my sister and me” and “He’s waiting for my best friend and me.”

Save “me” from extinction! Use it after prepositions (to, for, about, and so on). Let “I” take a rest. It is tired from having to do “me’s” work as well as its own.