LEND ME YOUR EAR: GRAMMER REVISITED: ME, MYSELF, AND I

For some time, readers have been requesting a re-run of earlier columns on grammar. One special fan keeps pointing out that our ministers often repeat their sermons, whether out of necessity or because parishioners have asked them to do so.

Fortunately, the message of Jesus Christ as our personal savior never changes. Unfortunately for columnists on usage, the English language does. Although basic rules are still considered essential for good writing, experts agree that the tools of the trade must remain flexible. Often, strict adherence to rules gets in the way of clarity. By the same token, clarity is just as likely to require adherence.

One of the most pervasive confusions since English was established as a language is in the misuse of "I" for "me." An educator of note once attributed this to over-education. Over-emphasis, perhaps, but not over-education. The trouble probably begins with "Mommy, me want." Mommy knows better than to frustrate darling Amy's needs, so she postpones or leaves corrections up to Amy's first teachers. What else are first teachers for?

Through the ages, teachers have worked so hard to get the proper use of "I" across to their charges that "me" becomes a child's forgotten friend. Eventually, the friend cries out for release from the doghouse, and "me" replaces "I" across the board. Thus we hear "Me and him are best friends," or "Her and me play softball together."

"Me, myself, and I" is sometimes used to describe someone known to be an egomaniac. In grammar, however, the phrase headlines the cases of the pronoun "I" in scrambled order -- nominative, objective, reflexive. "I" is used as the subject of a sentence, "me" the object of the verb (or preposition), "myself" to refer to or intensify a noun or pronoun, granted there is an antecedent.

Readers may recollect my panning Bill Clinton's campaign idea to "Give Al Gore and I a chance." My response was, "By all means give they a chance. Them are out to improve education." I sent this subtle correction to Time magazine, but too late to join countless other snipers -- and no one listened to us anyway. Too many speakers and writers the country over seem to consider "I" more powerful than "me." "Christmas was perfect for Jenny and I", and "Grandmother always sends birthday checks to Joey, Kathy, and I", are everlastingly heard throughout the land. I before me except after thee.

Would you say "Christmas was perfect for I"? Would you write "Grandmother always sends a birthday check to I"?

The rule for using the objective case does not change with the addition of another person or more. Remove the extras from your thought, and discover how easy it is to get it right. If you make a practice of removal, chances are the correct way will become automatic.

Comparisons pose a similar problem. In "People Talk" recently in the Missourian, the celebrated actress Kate Jackson claimed she enjoys growing older. This former member of Charlie's Angels, boasting a bit, said, "It is really interesting to meet women younger than me."

Would this proud actress have said "younger than me am"? The verb is understood, but perhaps no teacher ever explained this to her. Too bad, because how we speak is as important as what we say. Ask any authority on language. Ask Miss Manners.

"Myself", a reflexive pronoun not popular with all experts, is properly used to refer to or intensify a noun or pronoun that precedes it. For instance, it is correct to say "I gave myself a treat" because "I" signaled the usage. It is not correct to say "A friend gave Margie and myself a treat" because there is no antecedent for the pronoun. We are correct in saying "Margie and I saw that movie", but we may not say "Margie and myself saw that movie," even if true. "Myself" is not acceptable as a subject though few male members of the Kennedy dynasty ever became apprised of or conceded this.

On the other hand, we are permitted to say "I myself is to blame" if we feel we owe it to ourself and others to intensify the awful truth.

Most authorities, however, prefer that we just forget about "myself." Not being a saint, I didn't bargain for this when I included myself in the title.