Mama, today we learned about Jee-zus

Ok, quick grammar lesson for everyone out there posting pictures or shooting their mouths off (like I am doing) on their blogs.

Me = object pronoun
I = subject pronoun

When you were little you were probably taught all about saying "My imaginary friend and I jumped down into the ravine filled with snakes" rather than "Me and my imaginary friend were not attacked by the snakes because we spoke their language." There is nothing wrong or informal about the word me, it's just an object pronoun and can receive the action of a verb but not perform the action of a verb.

Say you have a classy picture of yourself with someone really cool, and you want to post a caption.

None of this:
Bruce Springsteen and I

Bruce Springsteen and you what? What did you do? "I" is a subject pronoun and remember subjects have to DO something. This is why we have verbs. Ostensibly you are saying "This is a picture of me with The Boss." So in this statement, you are one of the direct objects.

Thus:
Bruce Springsteen and me hanging out because we are cool like that.

Hanging is a participle, not a verb, so this is fine and dandy.

OR:
Bruce Springsteen and I hang out because we are cool like that.
Hang = verb, so me becomes I again. YAY!



Or if you are talking about having something done to you, use me after the verb. Why? Because "you" become either the direct object or the predicate nominative or the object of the preposition.


Examples:

Wrong- Skyler took Lisa and I to his house for the Swayziest dance party of the century.
Correct- Skyler took Lisa and me to his humble abode to discuss Jim James and Hogzilla.


Wrong- TBS tripped on her way up the stairs while trying to give a present to Jax and I.
Correct- TBS fell and rolled down a hill while trying to pass her homemade Olympic torch to Jax and me.


That's all for our grammar lesson today. Next week, tune in as we explore the improper use of commas and other forms of punctuation.