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I vs. Me

11/25/2011

It is important to note that the subject and object forms of “I” and “me” have the same meaning; the pronoun just has a different form depending on how it is used.

I is a subject pronoun. It will usually come before a verb in a sentence.
I like chicken soup.
If you are including another subject, place I closest to the verb.
Brad and I are going to see that scary movie.

Me is an object pronoun. It will appear after a verb or after prepositions.
He kissed me after the movie.
Between you and me, I think that movie was too scary.
Explanation: In this sentence, ‘you and me’ follow the preposition, ‘between’. ‘You and me’ are objects of the preposition. Therefore, they take the form of the object pronoun.

Now, let’s get to the fun part. This is a part of language that seems to be changing. It is a good example of how the grammar of a language follows speech and not the other way around. The traditional guideline has been that a pronoun following a form of the verb BE must be in the same form as the word before the verb.

It is I.

Explanation: ‘It’ is the subject. I is the subject complement. The verb correlates with the subject, and because the verb BE is used, the pronoun that follows it modifies the subject. I does not modify the verb, but rather the subject.

Our ears tell us that it is too formal to say “It is I”. As a result, you will most likely hear “It is me”. Do what you want when speaking. However, stick to the rules when writing.

One more thing: When speaking, use contractions. When using contractions, it is understood that the language is somewhat informal. As a result, do not follow the verb BE-subject complement rule.

Otherwise, sayings like, “It’s not you, it’s me” will really indicate ‘it’s you’ if you say “It’s not you, it’s I”.

5 Comments

It's vs. Its

11/18/2011

6 Comments

It is the third person singular pronoun. We use it to talk about things that are not people.

It’s is the contracted form of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’. If you can replace it’s for ‘it is’ or ‘it has’, then please use it’s in your sentence.
Example:
It is a beautiful day. It’s a beautiful day.
It has been a long time since we last talked. It’s been a long time since we last talked.

Its is a pronoun used to represent what an object possesses. We use this to show that one thing owns another thing. Its comes before the noun in a sentence.
Example:
The tires on the car are flat. Its tires are flat.

To practice your newfound knowledge, please visit Wisc-Online.

6 Comments

Real vs. Really

11/12/2011

38 Comments

I would buy a permanent marker and fix this error.

Real is an adjective. Really is an adverb.

It is not OK to use these words interchangeably.

A good idea is to take a really quick look at the real difference between adjectives and adverbs.

Adjectives: An adjective describes a noun. (people, places, or things) Adjectives give a little different meaning to a noun. Adjectives usually come before the noun they describe.
Example: Alexandre, who is 5 years old, owns a fake car. His father owns a real car.

However, adjectives can also come after a linking verb, which is a non-action verb. Examples of linking verbs are: the verb BE, look, seem, and smell.
Example: Alexandre’s car is fake. His father’s car is real.

We cannot replace real for really in these sentences. The reason is that an adverb cannot describe a noun.

Adverbs: An adverb can modify a verb, adjective, or another adverb. It cannot modify a noun. Adverbs are often formed by adding –ly to an adjective. There are different kinds of adverbs.

Adverbs of manner give more information about action verbs. It often answers the question ‘how?”
Example: How did he drive the car? He drove the car quickly.

Adverbs of frequency describe how often something happens. They usually appear before the main verb. However, adverbs appear after the use of the verb BE.
Example: How often does he drive the car? He rarely drives the car.

We also use adverbs when describing or giving more information about adjectives or other adverbs. These adverbs usually appear immediately before the adjective or adverb they describe.
Example: His car is really fast. The word fast in this sentence is an adjective. Really, an adverb, describes HOW fast.

It is not grammatically correct to say “Mexican food tastes real good”. 'Good' is an adjective. As such, the adjective ‘real’ cannot be used to modify it. 'Good' needs an adverb, and in this case, the adverb is ‘really’. The correct way to express yourself would be to say “Mexican food tastes really good”. If you want, add an exclamation point to that!

I know I did not cover everything. To learn more about the differences between adjectives and adverbs, visit Grammar Book.

For more exercises to test your knowledge, check out my post on Real vs. Really - Exercises.

38 Comments

Good vs. Well

11/8/2011

9 Comments

"I'm good" is a grammatically correct answer.

Good is an adjective. It is used when describing a noun.
She is a good girl. He is a good hockey player.
In the first sentence, good describes ‘girl’, which is a noun.
In the second sentence, good describes ‘hockey player’, which is a noun.

Well is an adverb. It is used when describing a verb or adjective.
He plays the piano well. I did well in the interview.
In the first sentence, well modifies the verb ‘plays’. He plays well.
In the second sentence, well modifies the verb ‘did’. He did well.

An important fact: Good can be used with linking verbs. A linking verb can be followed by an adjective. Examples of linking verbs are: look, taste, smell, sound, seems, become, and the verb BE. The adjectives that follow these linking verbs refer back to the noun before the linking verb. This means that when someone asks how you are, you can answer “I am good”, and you would be grammatically correct.

Exception: After the linking verb 'feel', either good or well can be used. 'I feel good' and 'I feel well' are pretty close in meaning. Well in this case refers specifically to health, whereas good can refer to one's physical and/or emotional condition.

The point of this blog is that you can only use adjectives like good after linking verbs. If you have an action verb like 'play', please use well.

9 Comments

A lot vs. alot

11/6/2011

9 Comments

This is Alot, the monster.

A lot is a quantifier that can be used before both count and non-count nouns. It is often paired with the word ‘of’.
I wish I had a lot of money. I want to visit a lot of countries.

Alot is not a word. It does not exist except in the vivid imagination of a clever blogger who copes with this error by picturing a hairy monster called Alot. After viewing Allie's blog, I share in her amusement. For more information on the 'Alot', check her blog at Hyperbole and a Half.

9 Comments

I vs. Me

It's vs. Its

Real vs. Really

Good vs. Well

A lot vs. alot

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