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Thread: May and I

  1. #1
    Ju
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    Default May and I

    1. May and I have a party invitation for Dec 30.

    2. I and May have a party invitation for Dec 30.

    3. May and me have a party invitation for Dec 30.

    4. Me and May have a party invitation for Dec 30.

    ************************************************** ********

    Did I make any mistake on the above sentences?

    Thank you.
    Odessa Dawn likes this.

  2. #2
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    5jj
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    Default Re: May and I

    You will hear #3 and #4, but they are generally considered sub-standard. I doubt if you will encounter #2. #1 is correct.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  3. #3
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    Default Re: May and I

    At school, I was taught a trick to help work out whether "I" or "me" is required when combined with another person. The trick is to remove the other person/people from the sentence and see if it still makes sense. So:

    May and I have a party invitation.
    Remove May from the situation and you are left with...
    I have a party invitation.
    That is grammatically correct therefore "May and I ..." was correct.

    May and me have a party invitation.
    Remove May from the situation and you are left with ...
    Me have a party invitation.
    That is grammatically incorrect and therefore "May and me ..." was incorrect.
    Remember - correct capitalisation, punctuation and spacing make posts much easier to read.

  4. #4
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    5jj
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    Default Re: May and I

    Quote Originally Posted by emsr2d2 View Post
    May and me have a party invitation.
    Remove May from the situation and you are left with ...
    Me have a party invitation.
    That is grammatically incorrect and therefore "May and me ..." was incorrect.
    I agree.

    However, I think that learners need to know that many native speakers use the incorrect form in everyday and chatroom conversation; you will hear it used in reality shows, soaps, and from pop musicians and sports stars; and it appears in print in some magazines aimed at the lower socio-economic classes.
    Ju, emsr2d2, Hugo_Lin and 1 others like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
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  5. #5
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    Default Re: May and I

    I have to say, I grit my teeth when I hear educated people say "Me and Henry... " as the subject but it doesn't annoy me nearly as much as people who use "myself" when "me" (or even "I") is the right word.
    Ju, HanibalII, emsr2d2 and 1 others like this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

  6. #6
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    5jj
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    Default Re: May and I

    Quote Originally Posted by Barb_D View Post
    I have to say, I grit my teeth when I hear educated people say "Me and Henry... " as the subject but it doesn't annoy me nearly as much as people who use "myself" when "me" (or even "I") is the right word.
    Me and my wife so agree with you. She was saying to myself only last night, "Between you and I, 5jj, my flabber is gasted by these sort of ignorance."
    Rover_KE and emsr2d2 like this.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


  7. #7
    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: May and I

    Quote Originally Posted by 5jj View Post
    Me and my wife so agree with you. She was saying to myself only last night, "Between you and I, 5jj, my flabber is gasted by these sort of ignorance."
    [Note to students: Do not take the above as an example of good English. 5jj is deliberately and flippantly using some of the commonest solecisms to make us smile.

    See if you can find all the errors.]


    Rover
    emsr2d2, 5jj and Hugo_Lin like this.

  8. #8
    Barb_D's Avatar
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    Default Re: May and I

    It's a shame your wife doesn't have better grammar. She should know it's "These sorts of ignorances."
    5jj, emsr2d2 and Hugo_Lin like this.
    I'm not a teacher, but I write for a living. Please don't ask me about 2nd conditionals, but I'm a safe bet for what reads well in (American) English.

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