We don't want you to speak good.
We don’t want you to speak good, we want you to speak well.
It’s just a little difference there.
Lots of people get really confused when they say things like, “him and me” or “she and I.”
It’s clearly wrong to say, “Me am going to the store and if you need some help give I a call.”
I think very few people get that wrong. Except cavemen, they mess it up all the time.
I say old man, have you seen Grog down by the watering hole? I mean his use of hygiene and grammar is absolutely revolting!
Ppppppppppppppppppppppppp… Ahhhh!
So most people just end up using “I” whether it’s right or wrong. Because it’s easy that way.
Here are some examples.
Spoiler! They sound right, but they’re not.
Number one: The best way to contact my brother and I is e-mail.
Wrong!
Okay, so it’s really pretty basic. The first person, singular pronoun is I when it’s used as a pronoun and me when it’s used as an object. But if that doesn’t make any sense here’s the easy way to get it right.
Just take the other person out of the sentence and you instantly know which one to use. You can just feel it’s right.
“The best way to contact my brother and I is e-mail.” When you take it out becomes, “The best way to contact I is e-mail.”
It’s “The best way to contact me is e-mail.” So you should say “The best way to contact my brother and me is e-mail.”
Ding ding ding! We have a winner.
Brilliant! Well, correct, at any rate.
On to the second example. “My friend and me are going to the store.”
Wrong!… er.
I love it when I say “gonna.” Like that’s even a word.
Start by taking the other person out and it becomes, “Me is going to the store.” So it should be “My friend and I are going to the store.” Because “I am going to the store.” actually is correct… that sounds right… and not like a caveman.
Also, “Him and I are going to the store.” is wrong for the same reason. Because it should be “He and I,” because “Him is going to the store.” just doesn’t sound right.
That’s it, now you know how to use “me” and “I” correctly. And remember, if you speak like a caveman, you might as well be one.
Old Man Grub is down by the herd, picking lice off his mate. Delicious.
Transcribed by: Caitlin Y.
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35 Comments
holta3
Thank you thank you thank you!!! I hate when people think they're being all proper by ALWAYS saying ___ and I.Space_Cadet
I love.AngInAmerica
My favorite grammar tip: "Superman does good. You do well." :)wx5aaa
Im gonna go to the store.andreacro
00:26 - 00:28 funnyest :)Talor
thats what me teacher saysTHAT1GUY
wait... does that mean me talk like caveman???Michael
You should have called this show Me and I, because you didn't cover anything about the use of the word myself.Johnb300m
"except maybe a caveman would talk that way" what? that is so condescending.... Haven't the GEICO commercials taught you anything about real cavemen???Meandering
The saddest part is that yes, we as english speakers are some of the worst violators of the language. I grew up in the South and they would tell us ain't ain't a word, but I didn't believe them.Carolina
I completely agree with Conyngham. As a teacher of English I have to explain things like these all the time. There's a great differece between what is grammatically correct and what native speakers of English say in oral speech.Conyngham
@kbombbilly - "It is I" is the correct form, as are "it is he" and "it is she." That said, they tend to come across as very stuffy, so even if you're right and people know you're right, you usually sound like a prig. There are exceptions, but most of the time, with this rule, you sound more like an idiot when you're right than when you're wrong (at least in spoken English). That's why you've seen both in the printed word. Sometimes people are going for what's correct, and sometimes the book is from a time when "it is I" ... lots moresteph
back to english class =P. I love the british accent very funny =].Jennifer McKenzie
I think the guys from Geico Insurance are going to sue you. Or as the great Southern speakers say "Ya'll".Rebecca
Love the British though!kbombbilly
So do you say "It is me" or "It is I"? I've seen both in published texts.xigging
thanks for the quick lesson. should come in handy when writing papers. although for general conversation, I don't really see the point in worrying about correct grammar. if your message is easily understood, then who cares? it's like table manners. if you are concerned about making a good impression to ... morekd
i think what he is really trying to tell us is that the best way to contact them is by e-mail!Bob Romanelli
Thank you for keeping grammar in English. Even the anchors on TV are wrong. They say things like, "She took John and I to the theater." No, she took John and me to the theater. Direct objects are always in the objective case. Or, "He gave the money to Mary and I." No, she gave the money to Mary and me. Objects of the preposition are always in the objective case. Whatever happened to grammar in elementary school? I guess they're too busy ... lots morethorondor
Yes, I haven't yet tried to learn Dutch, though I would like to and probably should Go for grammarhenrynew
Me Join... Me find no difficult to join. But the way In singapore Me, I and my self can be used very intercahngablly without being wrong. Please look under Singlish in wiki. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SinglishHenry
Me no Caveman... Me want join 22. Me no Know how to count 22+1=22. Show me the light. Great podcast by the way...Ingrid [22]
@thondor, wait till you learn Dutch ;), I think it has even more little surprises. Here we have a word "er" in Dutch, which is a word that no other language anywhere in the world uses, it's non tranlatable. But in Dutch it's essential, there is no consistent rule on ... morethorondor
English is full of these fun little suprises. It probably makes it one of the harder languages to learn. I don't think that I've got them all sorted out yet, and I've lived in the U.S. my entire life. And Ingrid, congrats on the 22 membership.Ingrid [22]
wow, that's what I call usefull. I never really learned English by learning grammar rules, I just say what sounds right to me, so I probably make a lot of mistakes. As long as people can understand me, I'm happy. The me/I thing always had me confused though, thanks for ... moreRuss [22]
But wouldn't that be, "My shadow and I"?Phil
There's one exception to the "me"/"I" rule that if it "just doesn't sound right, then it's not." And that is: "I and my shadow..."Brent
Me thinks that this was a great show...So me is a caveman. Who knew?christy
Oh, that you would have had time to address "myself" too. (Like oh so many "professional" emails I receive that end with "...contact [name withheld] or myself..."). Great show, guys.Curtis
Me gonna be politically correct and just say.....caveperson.Soul Sister [22]
So as a caveman he looks strangely similar to an old boyfriend of mine....Ray
Please don't give cavemen a bad name. Thanks.Nospinplease
That is a good tip to use! Thanks!Joe
I've heard that women tend to talk more than men. Makes me wonder if back in the cave days women spent more time weaving baskets and stuff and sitting around in circles developing spoken language while the men were out hunting, which sort of requires as much silence as ... moreNadine [22]
I'm glad there are only cavemen, and no cave women.