Between us, smarter isn’t always better

JUNE CASAGRANDE

Today, I’m thinking about smart people -- and not just my usual

daydreaming about hunks like Dick Cavett and Henry Kissinger.

Today I’m thinking about everyday smart people. Because while most

people assume that only smart people know enough about grammar and

style, the truth is that no one knows enough about these things.

We’re all in the same boat: you, me, Dick and Henry.

For example, smart person and Daily Pilot reader Brian Flood is

one of a small minority of people troubled by the widespread use of

the expression “between you and I.”

This type of mistake always reminds me of smart people because

they’re just as vulnerable to it as anyone else.

I’ve heard friends with master’s degrees make similar mistakes,

saying, “I’m so glad you can celebrate the occasion with Susan and

I.” I’ve heard my own editors at newspapers where I’ve worked make

this mistake, saying, “If you have any questions, talk to Joe or I.”

So there’s no shame in forgetting that “I” is not an object.

The sad thing is that people make this mistake as a direct result

of trying too hard to speak correctly.

I think there are two things causing confusion here. The first is

that, as kids, it seems we all need to be told that it’s wrong to

say, “Billy and me are going to the movies,” or, “Henry and me are

going to China.” So we become hyperaware of the necessity to use “I”

after every instance of “Billy and” or “Henry and.” Obviously, that’s

correct in this case because “I” is a subject, not an object. So, “I

go to the movies with or without Billy.” “I go to China with or

without Henry.”

I think the predicate nominative also adds confusion. The

predicate nominative is the odd, little rule that says we should say,

“This is she,” instead of “This is her;” and “It is I,” instead of

“It is me.” It’s just a rule, and it has nothing to do with “between

you and me.”

When choosing between “I” and “me,” try plugging in other options.

For example, if you’re tempted to say, “If you have any questions,

talk to Joe or I,” try dropping Joe. Would you say, “talk to I” or

“talk to me”?

Crystal clear, right?

If you’re tempted to say, “I’m so glad you could celebrate this

occasion with Susan and I,” you could try dropping Susan or you could

try plugging in the pronouns “we” and “us” instead. You’d never say,

“I’m so glad you could celebrate with we.” You’d say “with us.” So an

object and not a subject is the correct choice in this type of

construction: “me” not “I.”

“Between you and me” is trickier because it’s harder to

distinguish between subject and object. That’s because this is not a

sentence but an idiom that customarily drops the subject needed to

make it a complete sentence. “This conversation is between you and

me.” “This secret is between you and me.” There’s nothing wrong with

that except that it makes it less clear that “you and me” are objects

and not subjects here. But again, just plugging in an alternative can

make it clear which one we want. Would you say, “between we,” or,

“between us”? “Between they,” or, “between them”? Obviously, only

object pronouns make sense here.

Today’s second conundrum comes from Francis Sturms, a former JPL

worker (that’s a telltale sign of a smart person if ever there was

one). Francis used to scuffle with editors over when to capitalize

“Earth.”

The Associated Press Stylebook says: “Generally lowercase;

capitalize when used as the proper name of the planet. ‘She is

down-to-earth.’ ‘How does the pattern apply to Mars, Jupiter, Earth,

the sun and the moon?’ ‘The astronauts returned to Earth.’ ‘He hopes

to move heaven and earth.’”

If you find that confusing, don’t feel stupid. So do I. Just think

of the capitalized Earth as being reserved mainly for astronomy

contexts -- just as smart-person Francis knew all along.

* JUNE CASAGRANDE is a freelance writer. She can be reached at

[email protected].