John and I or John and Me

There has been a long-running debate between JOHN AND I vs. JOHN AND ME, but it has never had a conclusive resolution. We will attempt to clear up all confusion and explain how to utilize each term.

Which One Is Correct?

With all grammatical rules considered, JOHN AND I or JOHN AND ME are correct. However, these phrases are correct only when used in the right sentence and with the right context. Many grammar “experts” will claim that the only correct phrase between the two is JOHN AND I.

But this is not always the case. The only argument is that JOHN AND I sounds for formal than JOHN AND ME. In fact, there are some sentences where this phrase does not fit and is not grammatically correct.

The truth is that both phrases can be used in all kinds of sentences as long as the context supports the phrases.

You can understand this better with the following examples:

• JOHN AND I went to see the new Spiderman movie yesterday
• Sally gave the money to JOHN AND ME

Both these sentences use the phrases correctly with adherence to the context of the sentences. In the first example, the pronoun is I, which is also the sentence’s subject. You can even use the phrase in a sentence with just one person as the subject. For example, I went to see the new Spiderman movie yesterday.

On the other hand, the second example uses ME as the object pronoun. In this case, JOHN AND ME are those affected by the verb, i.e., giving them the money.

How To Use JOHN AND ME In A Sentence

• Those schoolkids decided to help JOHN AND ME tomorrow
• The host wanted JOHN AND ME to join him on stage at the end of the show
• The teacher said she wants to help JOHN AND ME with our projects this afternoon
• Hopefully, they will include JOHN AND ME in the program.

How To Use JOHN AND I In A Sentence

• JOHN AND I are not big fans of sports
• Last week JOHN AND I went to the farmer’s market
• JOHN AND I are planning to get married by the end of the year
• What time do you want JOHN AND I to come over for dinner?

How Do I Know When To Use Which Phrase?

While you might be able to figure out the use of these phrases correctly as you practice proper grammar, the best way to remember the correct usage is to consider JOHN AND ME as the object and JOHN AND I as the subject of the sentence.

Another helpful trick is to remove JOHN from the phrase or clause and see if the sentence still makes sense. For example, if the sentence is “JOHN AND I went to see the new Spiderman movie yesterday,” by removing JOHN from the sentence, you are left with “I went to see the new Spiderman movie yesterday,” which still makes perfect sense.

Likewise, in the other example, “Sally gave the money to JOHN AND ME,” if you take away JOHN, the sentence becomes, “Sally gave the money to ME,” which also makes sense.

This way, you can correctly use JOHN AND I and JOHN AND ME in various sentences.