For example, why is it incorrect to use "between you and I" or if it's correct to use between you and me"? When do you use me, I, myself, etc. ?

This is rather too long but I hope you'll find this information useful.



According to The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style, "Myself is best used either reflexively (I have decided to exclude myself from consideration) or intensively (I myself have seen instances of that type). But myself shouldn't appear as a substitute for I or me. Using it that way is thought somehow to be modest, as if the reference were less direct. Yet it's no less direct, and the user may unconsciously cause the reader or listener to assume an intended jocularity, or that the user is somewhat doltish. E.g.: 'The exclusion of women and women's concerns is self-defeating. For instance, myself and other women in Hollywood [read many women in Hollywood, including me,] would deliver millions of dollars of profit to the film industry if we could make films and television shows about the lives of real women' (L.A. Times)./ 'My wife and myself [read I] were in a religious cult for over 15 years before the leader fell over dead'. Some useful suggestions from The Grammar Bible:
1) "The reflexive pronouns often refer or reflect back to the subject of the sentence. I gave myself the day off. My parents treated themselves to a night on the town. In the first sentence, the pronoun myself refers back to the subject I. In the second sentence, the pronoun themselves refers back to the subject parents. In a sense, these pronouns are turning the action of the verb back to the subject of the sentence.
2) The reflexive pronouns may also fill an emphatic role. Here, these pronouns place emphasis on another noun or pronoun in the sentence. You yourself told me to ask for a raise. Janet built the house herself. In the first example, the pronoun yourself emphasizes the subject you, and in the second, the pronoun herself emphasizes the subject Janet.
3) Never use a reflexive pronoun in place of a standard personal pronoun. They are correctly used only in the reflexive or emphatic roles. The following sentences are incorrect:
John and myself repaired the copy machine. (incorrect)
Jane drove Sherry and myself to the movies. (incorrect)
They should read:
John and I repaired the copy machine. (correct)
Jane drove Sherry and me to the movies. (correct)
This problem most often occurs when someone substitutes the singular, first-person reflexive pronoun myself for one of the singular, first person personal pronouns I or me.
4) The Grammarlady offers the following advice: "DO NOT USE THE SELF WORDS TO AVOID CHOOSING BETWEEN 'I' and 'ME.'" "IF ONE OF THE PRONOUNS IS 'I,' IT COMES LAST IN THE SERIES". Example: "Myself, my sister Mary, and my mom went to Chicago last week." Put the I last in the sequence, and the sentence would read, "My sister Mary, my mom, and I went to Chicago last week."

I is the subject
Me is the object
Betwen you and I is incorrect, because that phrase would never have the "I" doing the action (in other words, as a subjectremember a subject is what does the action of the verb).

On the other hand, "me" is the object, which is something that RECEIVES the action of the verb, and you should not use "I" in its place (as an example, "He punched I" is obviously wrong.) An object can also be of a preposition so that it doesn't receive action, but does function as the object of the preposition (He gave the ball to me, where "to" is a preposition, and "me" is the object of the preposition.)

Myself is no different than "my self." and should be used wherever "my self" is usedbut it does not mean "I" so it cannot be a subject, and is normally the object of something (I would think most often a preposition), and furthermore is a question of usage beyond that (that is, you could not say, "he gave the ball to myself" You would say "he gave the ball to me.").

The trick I taught my kids is - try saying the sentence both ways (I and me), but leave out the other person (you) and see if the sentence makes sense.

For example in the sentence ...

"You and I went to lunch" or "you and me went to lunch" ?

Leave out the "you" and say the sentence ...

"I went to lunch" or "me went to lunch".

The "I went to lunch" sounds better, so the correct sentence is "You and I went to lunch"

I and me are actually the same word, but are different cases (one of the few words in English that still have cases).

I = subject of a verb / sentence.
me = object of a verb / sentence.

You'd never say, "He likes I" or "Me don't want that."

myself = emphatic.

"I prefer roses, myself."

"Between you and me" is correct because between is a preposition, and takes the accusative case (the case that an object of a verb is).

I is used to indicate yourself such as "I am going home." or "I am 25 years old." It's a substitute for your name and it is used in times when you could use your own name. In the plural where there is another person with you the term to use would be "Frank and I went to the game." You would not use me there. If you omit the words 'Frank and' you get "I went to the game." 'Me' wouldn't fit there.

Me is used for actions to or from you like "Give it to me." "That call came from me." You wouldn't say "Give it to I." or "That call came from I."

Hope that clarifies it

if this is a question about saying: "Me and John" or "John and I" it's easy to remember if you just think about taking your friend out of the situation.
"John and I went to the movies" is right because if you took John out of it "I went to the movies" is right.
"Me and John went to the movies" isn't because you wouldn't say "Me went to the movies"
hope this isn't too complicated, it made a lot of sense in my own head haha

"I" is used as the subject of a sentence. "Me" is used as the object of a preposition. So "between you and me" is the correct way. Also not "me and my friend went to the movies" for example. It would be "My friend and I went to the movies". "I and my friend" although grammatically correct, doesn't sound right in this case.
Myself is considered a reflexive pronoun used as the the object of a sentence or as an object of a preposition. "I love myself"; or "I did something to myself" or "by myself" are both objects of prepositions.
A phrase like "Me, myself & I" is grammatically very incorrect.
Hope this helps. I am not an English grammar teacher but just know these things, since I always use spell & grammar check in Word documents.

"I" is the subject of a verb - "I" does something or performs an action

Correct: My sister and I went to the store.
Incorrect: The salesperson was very rude to my sister and I.

"Me" is the object of a verb - Something happens to "me" or the action in the sentence involves, but is not performed by, "me"

Correct: The salesperson was very rude to my sister and me.
Incorrect: My sister and me went to the store.

The best way to determine if a sentence uses I/me correctly is to remove the other object/subject. For example, omit "my sister and" from "The salesperson was very rude to my sister and I" and you have "The salesperson was very rude to I." Try the same thing with "My sister and me went to the store."