I vs. Me: Try it Without Your Friends

Brian says:

Snarky, please settle this. I printed out this page from Yahoo! Answers to show my group in tech class, and we ended up arguing about grammar. Should the question begin with 'me and my friends' or 'my friends and I'?

Let's look at the headline:

Me And My Friends Are Going To Make A Facebook/YouTube Online Show!?

Yikes! Have we become so accustomed to this phrasing that we can no longer hear how downright awful it sounds?

Where does the questioner go wrong? Most people will use the correct pronoun when replacing a simple subject or object. The trouble occurs when we have compound nouns linked with 'and' or 'or.' Luckily, abusing pronouns is an easy habit to break.

Try this:

1. Break the compound noun into two simple nouns.
   Me and my friends >> Me and My friends.
2. Run through the sentence using one noun at a time.
   Me am going to make an online show. My friends are going to make an online show. 
   Uh-oh, something is wrong with the first sentence. 
3. Replace the problem pronoun with another possibility.
   I am going to make an online show. That works!
   
4. Then reinstate the conjunction 'and' or 'or.'
   My friends and I are going to make an online show.

Correction: My Friends And I Are Going to Make a Facebook/YouTube Online Show! 

More examples:  

• The principal yelled at me. The principal yelled at my friends. >> The principal yelled at my friends and me. 
• I need help. Jeff needs help. >> Jeff and I need help.
  
• The tutor helped me. The tutor helped Jeff. >> The tutor helped Jeff and me.