What to Do With Pronouns
Lynda Katz Wilner
SPEAK, SOUND, LOOK, and LISTEN Like a Leader | Speech & Communication Trainer and Executive Coach | Speaker | Author | Yoodli AI Advisor
“Me and my teammates….,”?“My teammates and me…,” or “My teammates and I.”?
“Me and him,” “Him and I,” or “He and I?”
According to SHRM and AARP, a recent survey found that 45% of employers are providing training programs to enhance their employees’ grammar and other?skills.
Just listen to the interviews with young athletes in the Olympics or during any sports interviews. Many of these stellar athletes?make the grammar gaffes that you see above. What should?we do with pronouns?
Sometimes, a simple grammatical error in your speech or writing can?affect your credibility and image. Which of the phrases above is correct, why, and under?what circumstances?
“Me?and my teammates….”??Incorrect.
Never?use “me” as a subject! It is an “object noun” and used as an object of a?sentence (“Give?me?the answer”) or object of a preposition (“Give it to?me“).
“My teammates and I…”?–?This?is correct when used as the subject of the sentence, e.g., “My teammates and?I?trained for months.”
“My teammates and me..”?–?This?would be correct when used as the object in a sentence, e.g., “They sent the uniforms to my teammates and?me.”
Subject pronouns are “I,” “you,” “he,” “she,” “we,”?and “they.”
Object pronouns are “me,” “him,” “her,” “us,”? and “them.”
We always say the other person first, e.g., “He and I attended the ceremonies,”? or “The torch was given to?him and me.”
Here is a strategy:
If we take the other person away, which sounds better, “I” or “me?”? You wouldn’t say, “Give it to I.” Hopefully, this will help you navigate the confusion of pronouns!
There are many tools that can help us with grammar and our writing skills. One beneficial tool is Grammarly. It will prevent you from making errors in your email and social media posts.