by James Marshall Crotty
M y late mother had a pet peeve about the proper use of “me” and “I.” She measured your mental acuity, not to mention your socioeconomic standing, by whether you implicitly understood when to say either.
Incorrect: Mark Williams and me are going to see Southside Johnny at the Music Box
Correct: Mark Williams and I are going to see Southside Johnny at the Music Box.
Looking back, I don’t blame mom. No other aspect of cultural capital more readily marks an educated person than his or her ability to consistently speak and write grammatically correct English.
As the author of How To Talk American (Houghton Mifflin), I am all about spicing up one’s speaking and writing from a wide vernacular palette. However, if you say “we wuz” or “I be” without your learned tongue planted firmly in cheek, then you will struggle to maintain credibility in all but the most mercenary and low-brow circles.