Which is correct--I or me?

Maybe incorrect grammar doesn't bother you--possibly because you're not a grammar Nazi or even a grammar geek--but in an age of  rapid digital communication, social media, online articles, books, and other reading material, you seriously need to reconsider correct form. 

Reason number one concerns time.  You have so little of it when it comes to making an impression online.  What you write is all that people will really see, except maybe a photo, which could be you long ago or even not you at all.  If you want to reach people and keep them reading, make the best impression possible.  Correct grammar and usage of language can help to accomplish this.

Reason number two has everything to do with your own literacy.  Success sometimes happens to lucky people.  I, however, do not believe in luck.  Successful people work hard to become the people they want to be, and so they actively engage in self-improvement.  They take classes, they join Toastmasters, they read everything they can get their hands on, and they don't quit.  They don't settle for almost-good-enough.

Many adults laugh off their inability to write or to use the language with skill and confidence, but actually they regret not gaining the necessary tools to become a more articulate writer and speaker.  That's where this little piece of advice can help. Listen up.

My motto is "Little by little does the trick," so I'm offering an important piece of grammar usage that can make you sound incredibly literate immediately.

Let's get these two pronouns straight once and for all:  I and me.
When do you use I and when do you use me?

Thinking this is perfectly correct, the average person might say, "As for my husband and I, we would choose the west coast again any time for a great vacation."  So what's wrong with that?  ANY time you want a pronoun for an object--and it seems objects of prepositions cause the most trouble--you have to choose the word me.  What's a preposition?  Words like to, for, about, by, of, around, against.  And a noun or pronoun follows it:  to the store (to it), for my daughter (for her), and so on.

The thing is, you probably wouldn't say, "Give it to I," or " This article was written by I."  What causes us grief is the fact that another person has been added to the mix.  For example, you might say, "They gave the award to Jane and I," or "This article was written by Sam and I."  Don't say it!  Just remember, if the word I follows a preposition such as the ones I've suggested, it's incorrect.  Use the word me instead.  Correct usage would be, "They gave the award to Jane and me," and "This article was written by Sam and me."

Using the correct pronouns I and me is just the beginning of lambent literacy.  As the foundation of our ability to communicate clearly and articulately--and yes, even eloquently--with others, our language is the most important tool we have.  I challenge you to work to improve it every day. I'll be back with some more tips soon.  Stay tuned.