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Am I missing something, grammar-wise? - Which way is correct? (SM)
Posted: May 30, 2012
It seems like lately, I've been seeing people use what I thought was incorrect grammar so many places that I'm starting to question whether I'm the one who has it wrong. Would appreciate your help!
The usage I'm referring to is when people say "So-And-So" and themselves as an object or an object of a preposition. The latest example I saw was in a flier that came in our newspaper from a local chiropractor: "....my father told my brothers and I about how he was able to...." Another example would be something like: "....call the results to Dr. Jones and I when they are available."
Is the word "I" correct here, or should it be "....my father told my brothers and me...." and "...call the results to Dr. Jones and me when they are available"?
I realize that even doctors aren't always correct with their grammar, especially when they're in a hurry and just not thinking (like all of us do sometimes); but, like I said, I've been seeing or hearing this so much that I'm wondering if I'm wrong or if it's one of those things where common usage has changed the rules over time.
TIA!
You are correct. I hear the same - al
[ In Reply To ..]all the time. All one needs to do to check is take out everyone else so the sentence would read, for example, "call the results to me..."
your way is correct - sm
[ In Reply To ..]Lots of people make this mistake. These are all correct:
He and his wife were present.
I spoke to him and his wife.
Call the results to Dr. Jones and me.
My siblings and I ate a bug.
My father scolded my siblings and me.
To test... - Angie
[ In Reply To ..]"my father told my brothers and I about"
Take out the "my brothers" to test it:
"My father told I about it" (wrong).
"My father told me about it" (right).
I don't know if they quit teaching grammar in school or what these days but no one seems to use it correctly anymore.
That's What I Do - Take out the other person
[ In Reply To ..]Take out the other person, and you have your answer. Same with her and she. Her and her father went to the store is incorrect. That should read "she...went to the store." You would not say "her went to the store."
Always eliminiate the other parties when trying to decide, makes it much easier than trying to remember what is correct.
Joan and I went to the book store. I went to the book store makes sense. You wouldn't say "me went to the bookstore."
Joan went to the bookstore with Sharon and me [or me and Sharon]. This is correct.
You would not say Joan went to the bookstore with I.
Everyone thinks everything is I, which is incorrect.
Book Of Style - blondy
[ In Reply To ..]I am taking an acute care course at present and am going through the Book of Style for Medical Transcription published by ahdi. If you can, buy it, as it is great! It has straightened me out on a lot of things I have had trouble with in the past.
The only place I am seeing/hearing proper (sm) - funny face but uses proper grammar
[ In Reply To ..]grammar is on MTStars. I just can't believe what I am seeing/hearing on facebook, forums, pubic speaking, etc.
can't agree with you there - sm
[ In Reply To ..]I am astonished on a daily basis by the lack of language skills demonstrated on these boards.
I'm the OP on this thread... - (SM)
[ In Reply To ..]Thanks for verification that I'm not losing it! :-D There are a few things through the years that I was taught were correct, but another style has become "acceptable" because of common usage. Because my OP examples have become so common, that's what made me wonder if that was the case here.
I'm quite surprised that some of the young resident physicians ("young" compared to me--LOL) who are smart enough to go through medical school (and are not ESL docs) are using improper grammar pretty consistently.
At any rate, "the-radiologist-will-call-Dr.-Jones-and-I" type of error is one of my pet peeves; but I think a lot of things like this are being used so frequently because OTHERS use them so much that the proper way actually SOUNDS wrong.
For instance, most of us probably know that when someone calls and says, "Is Mary there?" the proper response is "This is she." However, when I use that proper grammar, I feel like I must sound odd to others, so I've started saying "This is Mary" instead.
One other big thing I've noticed is that I was taught that you should say "who" when you're referring to a person rather than "that," i.e., "This is a patient who I saw in the office a week ago" (not "This is a patient that I saw in the office...."). Some time ago, I read somewhere that using the word "that" in this instance is now acceptable. I used to always correct it to "who" when docs said "that"; but since getting soooo tired of changing it (without pay) after being on VR for a while, I started leaving "that" if that's what was said. (Did you follow that??? LOL)
I hate to be an old fogey who starts saying things like, "Well, in MY day.....," so I'm trying to adjust when appropriate and necessary. :-)
P.S. - (SM)
[ In Reply To ..]I guess I should have said that the proper way actually SOUNDS wrong (to the people who use "I" when "me" would be correct). Using "I" in those situations always sound wrong to me (and apparently to a lot of my fellow vocabulary pros here). :-)
: ) - sm...
[ In Reply To ..]I have had lots of docs who say: "I have discussed this with he and his wife." (ack!) I believe they think it sounds more erudite!
Yep, forgot about that one... - SM
[ In Reply To ..]"I have discussed this with he and his wife."...
Oh, yeah!!! That's another one that's so, so, so, so common it's ridiculous! :-D
This has been a pet peeve of mine for years, - especially when journalists do it.
[ In Reply To ..]And TV characters that are supposed to be super intellects. I love the Big Bang Theory, but Sheldon occasionally makes a grammatical error and it always makes me cringe.
By the way, I think that would be, "This is a patient whom I saw in the office a week ago." Unless I have been typing it wrong all these years, which is quite possible...just can't make my fingers type "that" in reference to a person.
This is the way I learned it: - (sm)
[ In Reply To ..]From what I understand, "who" is considered a "relative pronoun" in that sentence; so even though it doesn't necessarily sound correct here, I believe it is.
I also learned that if you can drop the pronoun from the sentence, then "who" is the correct word. In other words, you could say, "This is a patient I saw in the office a week ago," so you would use "who."
Of course, this is all going on memory from what I learned quite a few years ago...just tried to commit them to habit so I wouldn't have to work so hard to remember every time! LOL.
Both of these rules are new to me, but I like them. - Will stop editing to whom.
[ In Reply To ..]Will save some time anyway. Thanks!
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