Use of "me" vs. "I" in English

[PLeXuZ]

Hello everybody,

I often hear when people say something like "He left Jack and I a message", or "They sent an invitaion to Sarah and I to attend...".

To me, it seems like I is not the right word here. I would say me, but people say I so often that I start questioning myself. Who is right? Is it corrct way to say that? Is it colloquial English, or, perhaps, American English? Why people say I, not me? Is it only myself who gets convulsions when hearing that?

Can someone clarify, please?

Thanks,
PLeXuZ

[MC-Force]

That is a very common problem, even for native English speakers.

Here's how I figure it out.

"He left Jack and I a message"

If you left out Jack from this sentence it would sound like this:

"He left I a message". Which obviously is wrong. So the correct sentence should use me.

"He left Jack and me a message

Try it with this sentence. It is also wrong. "They sent an invitaion to Sarah and I to attend..."

So you were right in assuming "I" was the wrong word here.

The mistake people commonly make is with a sentence like this:

"Jack and me went to the store"

That is where people really get confused. But if you left out Jack, the sentence would be "Me went to the store". So in this case one should use "I": "Jack and I went to the store"

...but people say I so often that I start questioning myself....

People are so afraid to make the mistake, that they use "I" everywhere.

It's not colloquial or American English. It's just wrong.

[ANTHOS]

i fully agree with MC Force's explanations

it's true that many people make this mistake, and, it seems to me, often against their own language instincts (the emotional/social fear overriding this). the use of me when I should strictly be used was originally a colloquial usage in limited contexts. today it seems that the grammarians/language purists have 'oversucceeded' !

in anycase, it certainly doesn't help those trying to learn english!

here is a link to the BBC's English Learning site on this point

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learn ... v264.shtml