You and I vs You And Me

I have a confession to make.

Sometimes I get seriously irritated when I read blogs, websites or emails with really poor grammar. Basic grammar errors are a pet peeve of mine... it's like nails on a chalk board. But I'm not talking about the occasional mistake. I know we're all in a hurry and it's easy to overlook some of your own errors, even while proofreading, because you know how the sentence or paragraph is supposed to read. I understand that you aren't trying to write a formal essay... after all, it's a BLOG! Most of the time we write much more casually, as if we are speaking. I understand all that. I really do. I use "..." more often than I should. I also find myself using "so" and "anyway" too often. But just because we write less formally doesn't mean we should throw all grammar rules out the window.

While visiting numerous blogs and websites tonight I noticed a few reoccurring errors. Every time I saw this one (see below) it seemed to bother me more and more. I started to wonder if it was just an oversight, or if these writers even understood the correct way. I had to do something about it. And so, here you have it. A little grammar lesson for everyone. There's no need to post any comments if you think YOU are one of the offenders. I promise, I have no one specific in mind. I couldn't even tell you where I found the errors if you asked. So don't stress over it.

You (or any other name) and I isn't always the correct phrase. Sometimes you and me is actually correct!

Correct Examples:
Josh and I went to the party.
My mom took Olivia and me to the store.

A quick explanation? It has to do with subjective pronouns versus objective pronouns. I is a subjective pronoun, while me is objective. Use I if you are the subject taking the action. Use me if you are the object receiving the action. If you want to get technical, click here.

If you just want an easy way to remember how to say it correctly, take out the other party and say it as if you were talking about only yourself. You wouldn't say, "Me went to the party." You would say, "I went to the party." Therefore, when you add Josh into the sentence you say, "Josh and I went to the party." You wouldn't say, "My mom took I to the store." Therefore, it is incorrect to say, "My mom took Olivia and I to the store."

Like I said before, I know we all make simple mistakes. I probably made a few in this post. I'm not trying to be critical. It's just been bugging me for so long and after tonight I couldn't handle it any more.

Up next...
The difference between there, their, and they're.