Me and him are the object forms of I and he.
Me and I are NOT interchangeable.
Him and he are NOT interchangeable.
Use me as the object of a verb:
He forgot me. (direct object of the verb “forgot”)
The neighbors welcomed Jane and me warmly. (direct object of “welcomed”)
Give me the book. (indirect object of the verb “give”)
Use me as the object of a preposition
Please throw the ball to me. (object of the preposition “to”)
Our family threw a party for Michelle and me. (object of the preposition “for”)
The same rule applies to him.
Use him as the object of a verb:
The witness described him accurately. (direct object of the verb “described”)
The detective followed the driver and him to the bank. (direct object of “followed”)
She baked him a cake for his birthday. (indirect object of the verb “baked”)
Use him as the object of a preposition:
Charles is running against him for class president. (object of the preposition “against”)
The cat crept past Jack and him. (object of the preposition “past”)
The following constructions are non-standard:
Me and him went bowling.
Me and my friends like fantasy novels.
Charlie and me shoot hoops after work.
Him and his wife are moving to Texas.
Susie and him work in the same office.
Unless you have a good reason for wishing to come across as an uneducated person, avoid such constructions.
3 Responses
Your “Me, myself, and I” is a great title. The movie wasn’t bad either.
Your explanation of “Myself and Johnny are…” confirmed what I thought. Unfortunately, this error, which seems first to have come into vogue among semi-literate profession sport players, is now being embraced by TV and, to a lesser extent, radio, newscasters and commentators. But then, I don’t recall anyone saying literacy was a requirement of those jobs.
“This is he” is not much used by US speakers anymore. It is the “correct” form because the verb is a linking verb. Most speakers, however, will say “This is him.”
Even in US speech, “Myself and Johnny are…” is incorrect.
The only time that “myself” is to be used is when the subject has already been stated as “I.”
I wrote a post on the use of myself at Daily Writing Tips: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/me-myself-and-i/
Which is the correct form: “This is he,” or “This is him”? Am I correct in thinking that the increasingly heard phrase, “Myself and Johnny are Chicago Bears teammates,” is incorrect?