In Subject and Object Pronouns each pronoun stood alone. When a pronoun shares its job with another person, ears get confused. Here is a test that always works: take out the other person and read the pronoun alone.
| The pair | Take out the other person | So |
|---|---|---|
| Sam and (I / me) went. | I went. | Sam and I went. |
| The gift is for Sam and (I / me). | for me | for Sam and me |
| (We / Us) students cleaned up. | We cleaned up. | We students cleaned up. |
| The coach thanked (we / us) players. | thanked us | thanked us players |
Key idea
Cover the other person (or the noun after we or us) and read the pronoun alone. The form that sounds right alone is right in the pair.
Why it works
Each pronoun in a pair has the same job it would have alone. In “Sam and I went,” both are subjects. In “for Sam and me,” both are objects of the preposition for.
Worked example: An object pair
The teacher chose Lily and (I / me).
- Take out Lily: “The teacher chose ___.”
- “Chose me” sounds right, because the pronoun receives the choosing.
Answer: The teacher chose Lily and me.
Worked example: Between
Between you and (I / me), the quiz was hard.
- Between is a preposition. Both you and the pronoun are its objects.
- Objects take the object form: me.
Answer: Between you and me, the quiz was hard.
Worked example: He and I
(Him and me / He and I) built the model.
- Test each one alone: “He built it.” “I built it.”
- Both are subjects.
Answer: He and I built the model.
Common mistake
Overcorrecting. People who were told not to say “Me and Sam went” sometimes use I everywhere because it sounds polite: “between you and I,” “a gift for Sam and I.” I is only for subjects. Take the other person out and listen: “a gift for I” is clearly wrong.