Are you confused about the use of Personal Pronouns? If yes, then you should probably know the difference between them. Ah! NO. You don’t know the difference too? OK, don’t worry and don’t go anywhere, as this guide will serve you in understanding the use and difference of personal pronouns. Before jumping into differences and the use of such pronouns. Let’s discuss a little bit about personal pronouns.
A personal pronoun is a brief word that works as a simple substitute for a proper name. Each English personal pronoun indicates the noun’s grammatical person, gender, number, and case. Personal pronouns include I, you, he, she, it, we, they, me, him, her, us, and them. These pronouns act as stand-ins for the people who are the focus of our sentences. They allow us to speak and write more efficiently because they remove the need to repeat difficult proper nouns each day.
Example
Let’s explain it with an example. In the first part, the paragraph will be without the use of personal pronouns. In the second part, we will see how easy it will become to read.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was born in South Africa in 1931, and Bishop Desmond Tutu rose to global fame as an anti-apartheid activist in the 1980s. Bishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984. Bishop Desmond Tutu is the author of seven books and has contributed to many more.
Now we will see the above passage using a personal pronoun. This paragraph will become much easier to read and less annoying.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was born in South Africa in 1931, and I rose to global fame as an anti-apartheid activist in the 1980s. Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to me in 1984. I am the author of seven books and have contributed to many more.
Why the Use of Me and I?
According to a coursework help firm, the issue of the use of I and me is very old. It confuses the students for as long as anyone can remember. This happens because English has many words that can mean the same thing. You use the words “I” and “me” when you talk about yourself. But did you ever wonder why the use of I and me? In this section, you will get an answer to this question.
The main difference between both pronouns is that “I” is a subject while “me” is an object.
I – Meaning and Usage
When you are talking about yourself, you use the pronoun ‘I.’ In every sentence, the subject is always ‘I.’ That is, ‘I,’ like he, she, it, and we, are a subject pronoun that is applied in the nominative case.
I teach English at school.
I took the bus to school.
I can’t entirely agree with him.
The subject of all three phrases written above is ‘I.’ If you want to say that you and a friend are doing something, always use the subject “my friend and I.” For example,
I went to school with Jack.
I, Neelam, and Radha went to see a movie.
Hence the personal pronoun “I” is used as a subject in the sentences. Subject means you are doing something.
Me – Meaning and Usage
The use of “Me” is as an object in the sentences. It is an object pronoun like him, her, us, and them. It is used with other personal pronouns. The examples of the usage of “me” includes;
She loves to hang out with me.
He gifted me a nice watch on my birthday.
He loves to exercise with Jack, Nick and me.
The use of “Me” with prepositions is also common. Consider the following two sentences: “It was tough for me to aid her”. And “Let’s keep this between you and me a secret.” ‘Me’ is used with a preposition in each of these statements. But the main use of “Me” is as an object.
Confusion in the Use of Me and I
As described earlier, many students and English speakers face confusion in the use of personal pronouns. The non-native speakers face this difficulty a lot. They will be unable to distinguish between the usage of “X and I” and “X and Me”.
For example, can you identify which formation is correct from the following?
Eve and I shared lunch.
Eve and me shared a meal.
Suppose you face difficulty in the identification of incorrect sentences. You can try removing nouns from the subject. Then you will easily note that “me shared a meal” is grammatically incorrect. So, the correct sentence is,
Eve and I shared lunch.
Comparison Between Me and I
When comparing I and Me, you should also be alert of their differences. Take a look at the two sentences below as an example.
“My mum prefers Jane to me.”
“My mother has a greater love for Jane than I do.”
The difference between the two words, I and me, has completely changed the meaning of the statements. Mother loves Jane more than she loves me, according to the first sentence. The second suggests that my mother loves Jane more than I do.
When Do We Use “I”
Because “I” is a subject, we use it to denote the person who performs an action. We also use it for the topic of a sentence or the subject of a clause.
When Do We Use “Me”
“Me” is always employed to express the text’s object, whether it is the direct or indirect object in a sentence.
Conclusion:
The personal pronouns I and me are both used to refer to ourselves that we use most of the time in academic writing. I and me are distinguished by the fact that we use I as a subject while me is used as an object. If you are still unable to make a difference between “I” and “Me”, then you can seek help from the examples discussed above. You can also take help from the dozens of sources available online. In the end, I hope this guide will prove to be a beneficial guide for you.