What's happened to us ? Everywhere, in books, movies, and television we hear pronouns being used incorrectly. Here is my theory: We have said it wrongly...so long...that it sounds right. Nowadays, sometimes when you hear a pronoun used correctly, it sounds "hoity-toity".
The correct rules I believe are, briefly: (1) use subjective pronouns I/we as the subject of a verb,
(2) use objective case pronouns me/us as the objects of verbs or prepositions,(3) never use a reflexive such as "myself" as a subject or an object. Example, "John and myself went to town." Wrong. Or, "The package was sent to John and myself." Wrong.
Neither do we say: "Me and John went to town." We say, "John and I went..." and we don't say,"The package was sent to John and I"---Correct is, "sent to John and me." So if we don't need the above reminders, we can disregard.
Sometimes I think people just throw in a token "she and I" or whatever because they think it is "probably about time" to use those. As in, "I know the darn things go somewhere."
Try this---for about two weeks, write on a pad every time you hear a pronoun misused, in a book or the media. It will amaze you.
So, the question is: Will this incorrect usage become "correct" eventually, finally approved by words gurus, just because of common usage?
Two of the greatest books I know on English usage are Patricia T. O'Conner's "Woe Is I" and
"Origins of the Specious." Get them while you can! Wonderful puns in the second one.
Bye, bye, from I. (OOPS!) Mil
Sent from my iPad
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