Her and I Were Talking

 As I mentioned in my last post, I am hooked on two reality dating shows, and frequently, the participants confuse pronouns. “Her and I were talking” is not correct. What you want to say is, “She and I were talking.” Why? What’s the difference?

Her can indicate possession, e.g., “her attitude, her accent, her suitcase.” It can also be used as a direct object. “Jackson was talking to her.” We would never think to say, “Jackson was talking to she.” It’s rare to see that kind of error, but it’s common to see “Her and I were at the movies. Him and I are good friends.” No, no, no. “HE and I are good friends.”

The rule for this is that the words he or she are used when the person is the subject of the sentence, and him or her are used when they are the object. If you want an easy way to get around this, you can simply substitute the person’s name, and instead of saying, “Her and I were talking,” you can say, “Maria Angelica and I were talking” or “We were talking.” Never hurts to have a cheat card in your back pocket!