# The correct version of "me" in written communication **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 20, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461 "2020-12-20T15:41:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/1 "2020-12-20T15:41:41Z")
Maybe it’s just myself. 😉 Have you ever used the correct version of “me” on a message and thought “those idiots are going to think I’m wrong”? Just wondering for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/2 "2020-12-20T15:42:57Z")
That issue has never bothered myself. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/3 "2020-12-20T15:46:12Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Have you ever used the correct version of “me” on a message and thought “those idiots are going to think I’m wrong”? I would not think you are wrong, but I might think that you are smugly thinking “those idiots are going to think I’m wrong”. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/4 "2020-12-20T15:56:17Z")
Me, I don’t worry about that stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Civil\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d78d45/32.png) [@Civil\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Civil_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/5 "2020-12-20T16:30:35Z")
“If one were to speak proper English, to whom would one speak it?” ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/6 "2020-12-20T16:48:37Z")
Those idiots would probably think you were using a translation program and had never actually used English in conversation. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/7 "2020-12-20T16:54:32Z")
> [@Alfred E. Neuman](#): > > “What, me worry?” What he said^ ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/8 "2020-12-20T18:09:09Z")
I didn’t know there was a correct version of me. I’d like to meet him sometime. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/9 "2020-12-20T19:27:31Z")
We are not amused. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/10 "2020-12-20T19:33:58Z")
Kids these days are too busy playing stupid games like Myselfcraft to study grammar. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/11 "2020-12-20T19:36:42Z")
The problem with using the word “me” bothers myself. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/12 "2020-12-20T19:49:53Z")
Well, we know what to get you for Christmas. > **[Amazon.com: I and I Bob Marley: 9781620140307: Tony Medina, Jesse Joshua Watson:...](https://www.amazon.com/I-Bob-Marley-Tony-Medina/dp/1620140306)** > > Amazon.com: I and I Bob Marley: 9781620140307: Tony Medina, Jesse Joshua Watson: Books ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/13 "2020-12-20T23:19:18Z")
I like to effect a disingenuously incorrect affect by using the less-often encountered definitions of “effect” and “affect.” The effect on my reader sometimes affects our conviviality, but what can you do? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/14 "2020-12-20T23:28:33Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > The effect on my reader sometimes affects our conviviality, but what can you do? I would certainly never imply that you were inferring anything unconvivial. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/15 "2020-12-21T07:57:35Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@Alfred E. Neuman](#): > > > > “What, me worry?” > > What he said^ Interestingly (to me, at least) that use of “me” sounds grammatical to my ear, yet I don’t know why. “What, I worry?” sounds wrong. I can guess that the more proper form is “What, would I worry?” But I don’t know why it seems acceptable to replace “would I” in the nominative case with “me” in the objective case. Maybe there is no rule at all, and it’s just idiomatic. But I myself am curious. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/16 "2020-12-21T12:39:44Z")
It’s because “What, me worry?” is an elision of something, but exactly what is debatable. If it’s “What? Are you saying I should worry?” then “me” is wrong. But if it’s “What? You’re speaking of me? worrying?” then “me” is fine. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2020, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-correct-version-of-me-in-written-communication/928461/17 "2020-12-21T18:50:15Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > But if it’s “What? You’re speaking of me? worrying?” then “me” is fine. Yeah. I suppose the real “error” if it be so is that Alfred’s catchphrase rhetorical question should have been punctuated as > What? Me? Worry? With the implied answer > Of _course_ not!