The Grammar Doctor

He or him, I or me, etc.

People are often not sure whether to use "I" or "me," or "he" or "him" in sentences. This confusion almost always arises when the pronoun is used along with a noun:

The English teacher was always mean to my brother and I/me.
The principal and she/her always picked on the boys in the class.
We/us boys hated both of them.

We can see which pronoun to use if we mentally take the noun out of the sentence:

The English teacher was always mean to I/me.
[S]she/her always picked on the boys in the class.
We/us hated both of them.

Without the noun, most people will quickly recognize which pronoun is correct.

The English teacher was always mean to me.
[S]he always picked on the boys in the class.
We hated both of them.

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