I or Me...That is the Question!

I have always had trouble determining whether to use "I" or "Me" in a sentence when talking about me and another person. As a child you were told that using "I" was the proper usage. For example my mom would always correct me when I would say "John and me." I've learned a few tricks, but still sometimes struggle with the usage.

What am I talking about? We're taught from a young age that it's polite to say:

Jane and I are going to the store.

That's well and good for the nominative case, when you and Jane are the subjects of the sentence. But it does not work if you and Jane are the objects of the sentence. This sentence is an abomination:

The man gave ice cream to Jane and I.

This is WRONG, and it hurts my brain. It's like fingernails on a chalkboard. I'm serious. It drives me insane. Would you say this?

The man gave ice cream to I.

Of course not! Politeness does not take precedence over grammar. The proper sentence in this case is:

The man gave ice cream to me.

And if you're talking about yourself and another person, then the proper form is:

The man gave ice cream to Jane and me.

I know that sounds wrong, but it's better than "Jane and I". Far better. And if you really want it to sound better, then ditch your notions of the polite and say:

The man gave ice cream to me and Jane.

However, the real answer to your dilemma is to use the handy clear and concise first-person plural.

The man gave ice cream to us.

Isn't that nice?

Are you confused? Here's an easy way to tell whether you should use "Jane and I" or "Jane and me". Ask yourself: if this sentence were only about me, which would I use, "I" or "me"? Use the same pronoun when talking about yourself and another person. Seriously. That's the rule.

http://www.foldedspace.org/weblog/2006/09/on_the_proper_use_of_me_and_i.html