Maybe you’re not like me.
Maybe - just maybe - you don’t visible cringe when someone uses one of these words incorrectly
If you’re not like me… then maybe - just maybe - you might be one of the people making me cringe! Like always, here I am to help you (and me) out!
These are 3 small words that cause so much difficulty when they really don’t have to and I can teach you the rules quickly and easily in a way that will stick!
I and Me are book end words:
“I” always goes at the beginning of a sentence and “me” always goes at the end of the sentence! For example:
“I need to go to the store.”
“Can someone help me?”
What about Me and my friend?
Is it at the beginning of the sentence? Then it is I (and traditionally we’d say “my friend and I” to be polite)
The easy way to check yourself is to leave out your friend (so much for being nice! ;) )
My friend and me need some time alone.
You can see right away that “me” is wrong! It is at the beginning of the sentence, so you use “I”
Myself
(Oh dear friend - if you are in doubt, just don’t!)
Even though “me” sometimes sounds wrong to our ear, don’t be tempted to use “myself” instead. Myself means something very specific.
Brace yourself for a big word. “Myself” is a reflexive pronoun. This means that you can only use it if you have already referred to yourself as the initial person in the sentence (The subject of the sentence for you grammar gurus)
Example:
No: My friend and myself went to the cafe. (you can check this the way we did above and remove your friend - you’ll see right away that you must use “I”)
Yes: I made lunch for my friend and myself. We know you wouldn’t use “me” at the end of this sentence just by listening to it without our friend. “I made lunch for me,” is definitely incorrect, so it must be “myself”
A Summary:
Use “I” at the beginning of a sentence and “me” at the end
Use “myself” only when you are already the one doing the action of the sentence
If it is a sentence that includes a friend (or someone else) always say it without the other person to make sure you’re right.
Easy? Right?
I am always wanting to improve myself and help you. I’d love to know if I’ve left anything unclear, or if you can think of an example that does not apply to these rules! You can shoot me an email at Support@DiscernToLearn.com
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