Ask the Editor
I or Me?
Question
Which is correct? "Annette, Jim, and I were at..." or "Annette, Jim, and me were at..."
—
Jbas
,
United States
Answer
The correct choice is "Annette, Jim, and I were at…" because "Annette, Jim, and I" is the subject of the verb "were" (to be) and "I" is a subject pronoun. Sometimes it helps to take out the other people in the subject and listen to which pronoun sounds better: "I was" or "me was"? It may be more obvious that "me" sounds incorrect and "I" sounds correct.
Below are some examples of "I" in subjects with more than one person:
- Terry and I are going to the mall later.
- My husband and I have plans to put in a pool next year.
- Julia, her kids, and I want to get together for dinner soon.
Below are some examples of "me" in objects with more than one person:
- His mother drove Terry and me to the mall.
- The contractors sent the estimate to my husband and me.
- The staff served dinner to Julia, her kids, and me promptly.
In casual speech you may hear "me" used in subjects with more than one person, but it should not be used in formal writing.
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