Misuses of me, myself, and I are probably the worst offences, not only because of their ubiquity, but because it is so easy to use these words correctly.
When is it correct to say “please give I chocolate”?
You’re right. Never. It is always “please give me chocolate.”
Then why do so many educated and literate people believe that me should become I if they put another person’s name and the word and in front of it? Why would someone say “please give me chocolate,” but if including another recipient in the request, say “please give Opus and I chocolate”?
A simple trick to figure out whether to use I or me
Take away the other party’s name and the and. What is left should look and sound correct to you.
Please give Opus and me chocolate.
But what about myself?
Myself is reflexive, which means that I am both the person acting and the person on the receiving end of the action.
I bought chocolate for Opus and myself.
There is never a time when someone else can do something to or for myself. If someone else is buying the chocolate, then it is for me, whether or not Opus is also included as a recipient.
Marvin bought chocolate for Opus and me.
The comparative trap
Beware the comparative, which contains a hidden trap to lure you into grammatical perfidy.
Marvin bought more chocolate than Opus or I.
HUH?
The comparative conjunction than links two independent clauses. The verb for the second one is implied.
Marvin bought more chocolate than Opus or I [did].
According to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, it is acceptable to treat than as a preposition and use me in informal contexts, when I would simply sound awkward.
Marvin bought more chocolate than Opus or me.
When writing a comparative, use I. If speaking in an informal setting, use me unless you want people staring at you as though you had just eaten their chocolate.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.