V-8 Moment Over The Me vs. I Issue

Did you ever have one of those V-8 moments except with an article you see somewhere instead of what you're drinking with your breakfast.

You bop yourself on the head and say, "Darn, why didn't I write that?!"

Well, an article that caused one of those moments for me is based on the me vs I conundrum that seems to plague American speech and writing. It forces us into very odd constructions using reflexsives and even causes us to feel uncomfortable when we use those objects of pronouns correctly. So here's the article by Suzanne Lieurance called "Why Are People So Afraid of ME?":

http://ezinearticles.com/?Pronouns---Why-Are-People-So-Afraid-of-ME?&id=328318

In terms of editing, an editor would never remove this incorrect-but-getting-commoner use from dialogue if the character saying the words is the kind of person who would use her prounoun/subjects that way. And check your style books on this. You may be surprised at the variety of opinion on the infamous Me vs. I.

(Note: Thank you to Yvonne Perry, owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Services, for turning me on to this article.)

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults and speaks on issues of publishing. Find her The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978515870. Learn more about her other authors' aids at www.howtodoitfrugally.com, where writes will find lists and other helps on the Resources for Writers page. She blogs on all things publishing (not just editing!) at her Sharing with Writers blog.