Andrew, you must be British. "...his mother and me" would be proper grammar in England. Here in the US, though, it is proper to say "...his mother and I".
Technically, yeah, it should be "mother and me". The rule is indeed to remove the other person and see if it still makes sense. However, if you listen to Americans speak, they almost always get it wrong. (Although the Brits aren't exempt -- look at the first verse of The Who's "1921" from "Tommy".)
Common usage can sometimes be a frustrating bitch-goddess.
Basic Instructions: How to Pick Out Gifts For Someone You Don't Know Just click through. NSFW: But so worth it. For those of you unfamiliar with BI, enjoy!...
I am going to assume that the grammar is part of the joke--it is funny to me, anyways. Regardless--lighten up people! We are adults addicted to a comic strip, you can't take yourself too seriously!
of all the archives that i saw and read, this is the only panel that i think has more than 3 person giving comments and you are all bickering on the grammar.
my wife is a super heroine, and she might have a ball gag around somewhere...hahaha, we DO have handcuffs, but we like to essentially pistol-whip cops with them...kidding...about the pistol whipping...sheesh people! i'm not boy george.
Um... I'm ... *resists the urge to wage grammar war* ... see... the thing is ... *coughs* ... when you... *reswallows his puke* ... gah... it is all burny... *cough*... in a grammar sense... *dry heaves* ... I gotta go!
Grammar is a load of bollocks. Language is for communicating with other people, not acting elitist over. If you understood the message the author was trying to convey, it accomplished it's purpose. We get it, you're smarter than us.
The phrase "my mother and [I/me]" is the direct object of the sentence, therefore "me" should be used (being the objective form of the pronoun). "My mother and I" works as a subject, or a pred.nominative. . Grammar ninjitsu is nerdy.
Well, if a comic is portraying regular people speaking on the fly, it isn't surprising that there'd be grammar errors here and there. I'm sure we've all had friends who've made the same mistake in conversation.
Anyway, I think the bigger landmark is that this is the first BI strip to reference sado-masochistic incest and ball gags. I'm not planning on celebrating that fact, though.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the Scott's Wife overlapping of the panel edges. I reckon it looks too comicky and less instructonal bookletty, which was half of the funny for me.
but i've got a friend who's all about correcting people: " *fake throat clear* it's so-and-so and I, not so-and-so and ME" even when it is actually "so-and-so and me"
next time he does it i may have to quote your "Language is for communicating with other people, not acting elitist over." because it's perfect
It's always been my opinion that correcting people is only acceptable behaviour for 1: a parent to their child or 2: an english teacher to their pupil. Any other time it's just rude
November 20, 2008
Reader Comments (24)
Just when I thought BI couldn't get funnier :)
never mind mixing characters - it should be "whips his mother and _me_".
Andrew, you must be British. "...his mother and me" would be proper grammar in England. Here in the US, though, it is proper to say "...his mother and I".
FYI.
LG
Is that because when you take the mother out, it would be proper to say '... he whips I.'
LG, that's only because in the US it is considered proper, even preferred, to use improper grammar. Look at Dubya.
No it isn't . . . I thought that you can always tell by removing the first person. I.E. "He whips I," or "He whips me." Clearly, it needs to be 'me'.
That's what they taught me in third grade anyway. Maybe the rules have changed. It IS English.
Technically, yeah, it should be "mother and me". The rule is indeed to remove the other person and see if it still makes sense. However, if you listen to Americans speak, they almost always get it wrong. (Although the Brits aren't exempt -- look at the first verse of The Who's "1921" from "Tommy".)
Common usage can sometimes be a frustrating bitch-goddess.
Comic: How to pick gifts...
Basic Instructions: How to Pick Out Gifts For Someone You Don't Know
Just click through. NSFW: But so worth it. For those of you unfamiliar with BI, enjoy!...
I am going to assume that the grammar is part of the joke--it is funny to me, anyways. Regardless--lighten up people! We are adults addicted to a comic strip, you can't take yourself too seriously!
of all the archives that i saw and read, this is the only panel that i think has more than 3 person giving comments and you are all bickering on the grammar.
my wife is a super heroine, and she might have a ball gag around somewhere...hahaha, we DO have handcuffs, but we like to essentially pistol-whip cops with them...kidding...about the pistol whipping...sheesh people! i'm not boy george.
why are some of you further up the page argueing about grammar? It's a comic - every imperfection is what makes it great.
And it is "His mother and I", just so thou doth know
Um... I'm ... *resists the urge to wage grammar war* ... see... the thing is ... *coughs* ... when you... *reswallows his puke* ... gah... it is all burny... *cough*... in a grammar sense... *dry heaves* ... I gotta go!
Grammar is a load of bollocks. Language is for communicating with other people, not acting elitist over. If you understood the message the author was trying to convey, it accomplished it's purpose. We get it, you're smarter than us.
You must have missed the one with the fake PC ad.
ITS (posessive)
IT'S (contraction for "it is")
This comic made me laugh out loud in each panel. The last panel had me laughing so hard I started clapping and not being able to breathe. Good Jorb!
@Ken, way to prove Fred's point.
In my region of Canada, it would be "me 'n' his mother."
The phrase "my mother and [I/me]" is the direct object of the sentence, therefore "me" should be used (being the objective form of the pronoun).
"My mother and I" works as a subject, or a pred.nominative.
.
Grammar ninjitsu is nerdy.
Either way, we digress.
It's still a good comic.
Death to the grammar war!!!!
Let me put this one to rest with a reference (I ended up way too curious as to which was actually right)...
http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/meandi
If you really wanna know, there it is. If you don't, then you have a choice.
Well, if a comic is portraying regular people speaking on the fly, it isn't surprising that there'd be grammar errors here and there. I'm sure we've all had friends who've made the same mistake in conversation.
Anyway, I think the bigger landmark is that this is the first BI strip to reference sado-masochistic incest and ball gags. I'm not planning on celebrating that fact, though.
I'm not sure I'm a fan of the Scott's Wife overlapping of the panel edges. I reckon it looks too comicky and less instructonal bookletty, which was half of the funny for me.
Fred, i just gotta say: I really dig ya man :)
I dig all you guys:)
but i've got a friend who's all about correcting people:
" *fake throat clear* it's so-and-so and I, not so-and-so and ME"
even when it is actually "so-and-so and me"
next time he does it i may have to quote your "Language is for communicating with other people, not acting elitist over." because it's perfect
It's always been my opinion that correcting people is only acceptable behaviour for 1: a parent to their child or 2: an english teacher to their pupil. Any other time it's just rude