‘Between You and I’

Do you say “between you and me” or do you say “between you and me”? If this is the case, have you noticed people looking at you funny, walking away from you on the bus, or threatening to harm you? Because there are people out there who see this as a serious exception to this particular phrase and they are furious when they hear it.

What about “between you and me” that causes such anger? The short answer is that the speaker is using the subject pronoun I after a preposition, rather than the target Iand modern English grammar stipulates that pronouns follow a preposition such as between must be objective people (I, Friend, we, him her, It, Surname).

between you and me

Many writers have used “between you and I” in their writing; however, most current manuals will criticize you if you use it. It is fine for regular speech, but should be avoided in edited prose.

Longer answer? Some people argue that the reason so many people get annoyed with the phrase “between you and me” is because it’s an overcorrection error (a grammatical error made when trying to avoid another grammar mistake or a mistake made in the past). trying to appear more educated). , and overregulation tends to overwhelm people. This theory is largely based on the notion that people panic when they are told they should say “it’s me” and not “it’s me” and that they overcompensate by adding too much. many subjective words into their language. I. Other commentators on the language have suggested that some people use I instead of I because it has a more pleasant sound to it.

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Perhaps the most famous (mis)use of “between you and I” occurs in the work of William Shakespeare. Merchants of Venice, in which Antonio informs Bassanio in a letter that “every debt has been settled between you and me.” Shakespeare was just one of many ancient writers who used the subjective rather than the objective in this prepositional phrase. An 1878 edition of the magazine Notes and Queries declares that “Between you and me as thick and rich as Autumn leaves stretch over the streams in Vallambrosa,” and gives the following examples (among many others).

Between you and me, I think he’s a strange person… someone like you can be. —Henry Fielding, virgin revealed1791

Whimsical… and, between you and me, none of the gentlest of her gender. —David Garrick, Servant lies1741

Then the music – the rhythm so softly dies, It’s divine, O Dolly, between you and me, It’s good for my peace when no one’s around. —Thomas Moore, The Fudge family in Paris1818

“Between you and I” is not only used by British authors; it can be found in the writings of many American men and women who wrote letters in the 18th and 19th centuries. Benjamin Franklin occasionally used it in his correspondence (although he wrote “between you and me” frequently. than).

Indeed, I have no idea of ​​any Agreement between you and me, whether express or implied as you say, in any of its Terms…. —Benjamin Franklin, letter to David Hall, April 14, 1767

I suspect that between you and me, the Last Measures have been very similar to the King, and in some cases he has a Big Part of what his Friends call Solidity. —Benjamin Franklin, letter to William Franklin, July 14, 1773

Without a doubt, the phrase “between you and I” violates traditional grammar rules. If a person substitutes another subjective pronoun after between (“this is a matter between them”) sounds pretty jarring to most of us. But it is certain that our language will occasionally pick up on incorrect usage, and over time we will accept it, if only reluctantly and slowly. An example of this can be found in the aforementioned phrase “it is I,” which was widely criticized in the 19th century, and much less annoying now than it was in the past. An early 20th century edition of Merriam-Webster’s New Unabridged Dictionary wrote about “myself” as “violating the grammatical structure rule that requires a nominative predicate” To be; and now it is mostly colloquial or dialect, but justified by some good writers as historical idiom. While using “it is me” instead of “it is I” may still annoy some people, many manuals now accept this as correct, especially in incorrect settings. awake.

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This is not yet the case of “between you and me.” Most current manuals (as well as many angry people on Twitter) claim that this usage detracts from the user’s appearance. Our own manual takes a more acceptable position:

You can be safe in keeping between you and me in your regular speech, if it’s there naturally, and you’ll be authentic when you put it in the mouths of fictional characters. But you should avoid using it in essays and other works of a discursive nature. It seems to have no place in modern editorial prose. Merriam-Webster’s English usage dictionary1994

For those with short attention spans, here’s an intro:

In case you want to know why You shouldn’t say it’s “between you and me,” When the case is subjective instead of objective You’re making grammarians cry

Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn

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