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Viewing Pronoun Subjects and Objects: 'Tom and I' or 'Tom and me'?Pronoun Subjects and Objects: 'Tom and I' or 'Tom and me'?
By Charmont Sodi These phrases often cause confusion, because people have learned the grammar rules first, then they go out and hear native speakers breaking the rules without really noticing ... or caring too much about it. In this case, it's a battle between using the subject and object forms of the verb correctly. First, a quick review of pronoun forms for subjects and objects in a sentence: Subject - Object I - me you - you he - him she - her it - it we - us they - them You can combine names and pronouns together with 'and' in both subject and object positions in a sentence. Technically, you should always use the correct form of the pronoun, depending on where it is located in the sentence. Take a look at these examples: Subject Position James and I went down to the beach. Your mother and you are both alike. Object Position Frank told me about him and his brother as children. Please send those emails to both him and her. Things get a little more interesting when native speakers don't follow these rules. Very often, you will hear people use subject forms where they should use object forms, and vice versa. It is not uncommon to hear the following: Jim and me went biking yesterday. It would be a pleasure for my wife and I to host you. It is important for you and I to work together. While this may seem incorrect, it is very common, and therefore we should be open-minded about it. Languages change all the time, usually in the direction of making things easier and simpler. As a student, it is safer for you to stick to the expected pattern in the rules: try not to mix pronoun subject and object forms. However, listen for them when people speak. You will quickly see that people mix them quite often, even when they are trying to be formal. About the Author: Charmont Sodi has extensive knowledge in education, and has been working in the English educational field for more than four years. He is now a senior teacher at Belajar Bahasa Inggris EF English First. Article Source: A Language Guide - http://www.a-language-guide.com More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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