Question

I am typing an essay for my English 101 class, and I have come across a sentence in which Microsoft Word detects a grammatical error. It suggests that I change the pronoun "I" to "me", although, I remember I was taught in school to use "I" in occasions like this one. It would be of great assistance if someone could explain which pronoun is correct and why that is so. Thank you in advance!


"Thankfully, my grandparents did that for my parents and I, giving me the opportunity to be born in the United States."

Answer 1

You remember wrongly, or were taught incorrectly. Use me when it is an object. In this case, FOR is a preposition, and parents and me are the objects.

Answer 2

Microsoft Word is correct.

The pronoun is the object of the preposition, "for." "I" is a subject pronoun, so "me," an object pronoun should be used. The correct phrase is "for my parents and me."

An easy way to figure out constructions using "and" is to omit the other word.

For example: would you say
did that for I
or
did that for me?

Answer 3

Oh, okay! I have been using "I" in instances like that my entire life. Thank you both so much!