In today's increasingly technological world, many organizations lament that their employees' grammar and writing skills are suffering, due in part to electronic tools like spellcheck and texting. A survey of 400 CEOs conducted by The Conference Board found that employers rate skills such as oral and written communication as critical to success in the 21st-century workplace. Yet, employers also observe that a mere 10% of four-year college graduates possess excellent capabilities in these skills.

Despite this desire to see improved written communication skills in their employees, most organizational management members do not have time to teach grammar and writing to their employees. This article presents Easy-to-Remember Grammar Tips: Pronouns as one lesson in a series of e-articles offering quick, easy-to-remember tips for some of the basic rules of grammar. This series addresses the most common grammatical mistakes people tend to make. Sharing these tips with your employees or colleagues is a quick and efficient way to help improve their oral and written communication skills (and yours!).

I or Me?

Never begin a sentence with "me." For example, some people may say "Me and Jan wrote the report together." This is incorrect.

* Nothing changes to add a second person. You wouldn't say "Me went to the meeting" would you? No. Likewise, you would not say "Me and Joe went to the meeting." It should be, "Joe and I went to the meeting." When in doubt, remove the 2nd subject and see how it sounds.

TIP FOR REMEMBERING: Nothing changes to add the 2nd person.

The same rule is true for "me" as an object. Many people want to say "I" at the end of the sentence, as in "Give those numbers to Katarina and I before you leave." This is incorrect.

* You apply the same rule as above: nothing changes to add the second person. Would you say "Give the report to I"? No. So, you should say, "Give the report to Katarina and me" because if you remove Katarina from the sentence, it would read, "Give the report to me."

TIP FOR REMEMBERING: I am too important to go at the end of the sentence.

So, the lesson here comes down to subjective pronouns vs. objective pronouns.

- I is a subjective pronoun, which means it is always the subject of the sentence (I feel dizzy.)

- Me is an objective pronoun, which means it is the object of the sentence (The client gave the contract to me).

Other Pronouns

All the same rules from the me/I section apply when you use pronouns like "he/him" or "she/her." We often hear people say things like, "Him and I went to lunch together." This is incorrect.

* Again, ask yourself how you would say it to remove the other person (in this case "I"). Would you say "Him went to lunch"? (Maybe if you're five, but otherwise, no!). So, it's "He and I...."

By the same token, it is incorrect to say, "Can you come to my office and plan the meeting with she and I?"

* How would you say it if there was only one person?

- "...plan the meeting with she?" No.

- "...plan the meeting with I"? No.

* So, you should say, "Can you come to my office and plan the meeting with her and me?" because you would say "...plan with her" and "...plan with me."

So, the lesson here comes down to subjective pronouns vs. objective pronouns.

- He and she are subjective pronouns, which means they are always the subject of the sentence (She did her due diligence).

- Him and her are objective pronouns, which means they are the object of the sentence (I gave the data to him).

For more grammar tips, look for my other articles in this Easy-to-Remember Grammar Tips series. For more comprehensive help with teaching your employees improved business communication skills, or for information on our solutions to organizational needs like teamwork, conflict, and managing change visit http://www.emuconsulting.com.

Dr. Allison Friederichs is a consultant with Emu Consulting, offering organizational training and development solutions -- in areas like interpersonal communication, listening and decision making in high-stress environments, better business writing, and time management for working women -- to teach people skills that improve their work groups and their organizations.

Dr. Allison Friederichs
Consultant
Emu Consulting, LLC
http://www.emuconsulting.com