Dear Readers,
This month I discuss the proper use of Subject Pronouns. In my November post, the focus was on the object of the preposition and I explained the difference between subject pronouns and object pronouns. Let me remind you of the subject pronouns and their function.
The subject of the sentence can be a person or a thing. The subject is doing or did the action.
Example: The teacher gave a test. (Teacher is the subject - doing the action of giving a test - and teacher is a person.) To be more specific, Mr. Johnson gave a test. Mrs. Smith gave a test.
Example: The airplane arrived on time. (Airplane is the subject - doing the action of arriving - and airplane is a thing.)
Both of these subjects can be replaced by a pronoun. In the first example, we can use He or She, depending on the gender of the teacher: He/She gave a test. In the second example, we use It because we are replacing a thing. It arrived on time.
To clarify which are the subject pronouns, here is a list for reference:
SINGULAR SUBJECT (one person or thing) PLURAL SUBJECT (more than one)
I We (anyone + I)
You You (anyone + you)
He, She, or It They
OBJECT PRONOUN (singular) OBJECT PRONOUN (plural)
me us
you you
him, her, or it them
Lately, I have noticed a trend where object pronouns are being substituted for subject pronouns when the subject is plural. What does that mean? See my examples below:
Example: The musical "Oklahoma!" was written in the 1950's about rural life. Curly, the main cowpoke of the story, misses out on taking the lovely Laurey to the Box Social. So he tells her aunt,
"Don't forget, Aunt Eller. You and me still got a date together." If we look above, we see that the plural subject should be "You and I". Seeing as how Curly is most likely not educated, this would probably reflect the way country folk spoke in those parts back then. Curly is forgiven.
Example: In the Meryl Streep/Alec Baldwin movie "It's Complicated," Meryl's character and her children are in New York for her son's college graduation. She had made dinner reservations for the whole family but Luke says, "Me and my friends are having this huge thing at our apartment..."
Hmmm, didn't he just graduate from college? Did he not learn the proper use of a subject pronoun?
Obviously not. He should have said, "My friends and I are having ..."
Example: This was heard on tv's "The Big Bang Theory," episode "The Shiny Trinket Maneuver."
Knowing that his fiancee Bernadette doesn't like children, engineer Howard Wolowitz rethinks his decision to marry her. "Maybe me and Bernadette aren't right for each other," he muses.
Again, this is an educated man with a Master's Degree and he is using the wrong subject pronoun. Of course the right way is, "Maybe Bernadette and I aren't right for each other." Where did the writers of this show go to school?
Example: On the Steve Harvey daytime talk show of January 17, 2013, a mom discussed the use of humiliation punishment with Steve. She had engaged the help of a police officer in dealing with her son. She told Steve, "Him and I were discussing" the situation. Him is not a subject pronoun, but He is and the correct way would be, "He and I were discussing ..."
Example: In the episode "From This Day Forward" on the tv show "Vegas," Las Vegas deputies Jack and Dixon are investigating a murder. They talk to the owner of a ranch where the female victim had been staying. The owner tells them, "Her and Marjorie and some of the girls went down to Fremont Street last night." Nope, it should be, "She and Marjorie and some girls went ..."
Example: The December 10, 2012 issue of People Magazine had an interview with gymnast Gabby Douglas. When asked how her life had changed since winning her gold medal, she answered, "Me, McKayla and Aly went out last night and got mobbed." Wrong. But later in the interview she talked about meeting President Obama and says, "My teammates and I were all walking in so straight ..."
What I can't figure out is why in one sentence the usage is correct but in another it is not.
For those who get confused and don't know which to choose, here is an easy way to know:
For those multiple subjects like "Me, McKayla and Aly..." or "Her and Marjorie..." simply remove the other subjects (above that would be McKayla and Aly or Marjorie) and listen to what is left.
We would never say "Me went out last night" nor "Her went down to Fremont Street". If it sounds wrong, IT IS. That's when you know to insert the subject pronouns listed above.
Now here are a few examples of correct usage of the subject pronouns:
Example: NYC Police Commissioner Frank Reagan on tv's "Blue Bloods" episode "Fathers and Sons," disagrees with the mayor over protocol. Hizzoner says, "Frank, you and I have danced around this in the past." Well put, Mr. Mayor.
Example: In "Scandal," episode "Boom Goes the Dynamite," political fixer Olivia Pope is working with Will Caldwell, the son of political family who is running for governor and who is still in love with his brother's wife. Will explains, "Pete loves her, she's his wife. And she and I, well, we have what we have." Bravo, Will.
Example: On tv's "CSI:NY," NYPD Detective Mac Taylor interrogates a man who took Mac's girlfriend as a hostage. He says, "You took Christine as collateral for the $100,000 he and his brother owed you." You are a smart man, Mac Taylor, and so are your writers.
Example: [This is one of my favorites] TV's sitcom "The Neighbors" has son Max running in to tell his parents, "I have the biggest news ever. Me and Dick..." and mom Debbie Weaver interrupts and corrects him, "Dick and I..." Max responds, "Really? You're stopping me for grammar???"
Good work, Debbie Weaver.
I'll end this month's post with an example that is so confounding that it defies explanation. I was listening to a musical selection on KCRW radio on March 25, 2013. The duo that sang the song was called She and Him. I suppose that in the music world, anything goes.
