Is there any underlying rule for usage of I/me/myself?

Dipak   Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:12 pm GMT
Hi,

Recently I visited this website and found very helpful. I wanted to know the rule or may be some trick to remember the usage of I/me/myself.

Most of the times I tend to get confused about it and end up using wrong thing.

Could you post some suggestions?
Tony   Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:39 pm GMT
Myself have no problem with that.
Caspian   Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:43 pm GMT
Yes, there is a rule:

'I' is used as the subject of the sentence, as in 'I find it', because it's the 'I' who is doing the finding.

'Me' is used as the direct object of the sentence, when the subject is different, as in 'she finds me'.

'Myself' is used as the direct object of the sentence, when the subject and the direct object are the same, as in 'I find myself'.

Hope this helps!
Dipak   Sun Apr 05, 2009 2:53 pm GMT
Thanks Caspian! The rules are quite explicit and easy to remember.
idito   Sun Apr 05, 2009 8:52 pm GMT
When to use "himself" and "hiself"?

He finds himself
or
He finds hisself

He hisself finds it.
He himself finds it.

????
beneficii   Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:43 pm GMT
Caspian,

"Me and him went to the store."

The above sentence sounds natural to native speakers: It sounds more casual than "He and I went to the store."
a   Sun Apr 05, 2009 10:56 pm GMT
@beneficii:

Sorry, but that just sounds like broken English, or the type of mistake someone in Kindergarden would make. It doesn't make it sound more casual.
a   Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:54 am GMT
I recommend "Him and I went to the store."
beneficii   Mon Apr 06, 2009 3:59 am GMT
a,

I am willing to bet you are a non-native speaker.
Dipak   Mon Apr 06, 2009 12:44 pm GMT
I guess, as per the underlying rules we shall stick to He and I went to the store.

Him or me will come in picture only when we are using them as object. In above sentence he and I are completely subjects and not the objects.

Any comments....
Kess   Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:44 pm GMT
''Me and Jane went to the store'' does not sound substandard, it's a part of standard colloquial American English. No one would ever question it (just like ''Better than me'' or ''It's me''). Some colloquial forms are ''tolerable'' (It's me, better than me, Me and Jane went to the store), some are not (she ain't come, he don't know).
Caspian   Mon Apr 06, 2009 1:56 pm GMT
I am a native speaker.
'Him and I wend to the store' and 'Me and him' went to the store are both incorrect, and not acceptable. There is also a rule which states that the first person must come last.

The correct form:

He and I went to the store.
Skippy   Mon Apr 06, 2009 2:52 pm GMT
You'll hear "me" used as a subject relatively frequently, but you should try and avoid it... Many Americans won't notice, but many will.

"That's me" is acceptable, so is "more than me," although less so. With "that's me" I think this is something English has pulled from French influence ("c'est moi," not "c'est je") along with "I'm well" instead of the more grammatically correct "I'm good."
beneficii   Mon Apr 06, 2009 4:49 pm GMT
Caspian,

I was being descriptive, not prescriptive.
Caspian   Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:42 am GMT
Perhaps so, beneficii - but I was pointing out that your claim that this incorrect sentence sounds correct to native speakers is false.