How to Write Right: Barbara and the Case of the Subject Pronoun

 

Advice from our Copyeditor

You’ll often hear this common misconstruction involving the word “I”:

“Would you like to go to the movies with Barbara and I?”

What’s wrong? Try getting rid of Barbara. The sentence now reads:  

“Would you like to go to the movies with I?”

Something’s amiss.The problem is, “I” is a subject pronoun. Subject pronouns (others include “she” and “they”) perform the action of the verb: “I am going to the movies.”  They’re never objects of the verb — you wouldn’t say “I’m taking she to the movies.” And they don’t follow prepositions.

So let’s grab Barbara and fix the sentence:  

“Would you like to go to the movies with Barbara and me?”


Illustration by Demian Johnston