I vs Me | Correct Use & Examples

The following two pieces of advice will help you to use me or I correctly in lots of everyday contexts.

  1. If you’re talking about you and someone else, use the word that sounds correct if you take the other person out of the sentence.
Tip
To test if “X and me” or “X and I” is correct, recast the sentence without “and X.”

Test sentence: Max and me went to the store.
Sentence without the “other person”: I went to … [“me” sounds wrong]
Grammatically correct sentence: Max and I went to the store.

Test sentence: He told Max and I to go to the store.
Sentence without the “other person”: He told me to … [“I” sounds wrong]
Grammatically correct sentence: He told Max and me to go to the store.

  1. In everyday spoken English, we normally use me and not I after the verb be.
Me or I after “be” examples
  • Hi Max! It’s me, Paula
  • Hi Max! It’s I, Paula
  • It wasn’t me who finished all the milk!
  • It wasn’t I who finished all the milk!

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Historic vs Historical | Difference & Meaning

Historic means “important in history” (e.g, “a historic day for the country”), while historical means “to do with the past” (e.g., “historical evidence”) or “to do with history (e.g. “from a historical point of view”).

Historical vs historic examples
Historical in a sentence Historic in a sentence
She is most famous for her historical fiction. She lives very near the historic site where the famous battle depicted in her book took place.
The book’s main character’s are all little-known historical figures. Her latest book is about one of China’s most historic figures.
Researching the book involved searching through thousands of historical records. You will find her books in the gift shops of all the historic buildings featured in her writing.
Note
The difference between historic and historical is sometimes subtle. For instance, if someone chooses the word “historic” to describe a landmark, building, or site, etc., they are probably focusing on the important role it has played in history (e.g., “We saw all the historic buildings, including the White House”). But if they choose the word “historical,” they probably just mean that historians think it is important (e.g., “It’s important to preserve the historical buildings located in the downtown area”).

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Nevermind or Never Mind | Difference & Meaning

Never mind should be written as two words in almost all contexts.

  • Never mind (two words) is a phrase meaning “don’t worry” or “let alone” (e.g., “Never mind about that,” “I can hardly remember what I did yesterday, never mind last year!”).
  • Nevermind (one word) is a noun used in combination with no to mean “no attention,” or “no difference,” (e.g., “Don’t pay it no nevermind,” “It makes no nevermind to me”). It is a colloquial (dialect) word used in some regions of the United States.
Never mind or nevermind examples
Never mind in a sentence Nevermind in a sentence
Person A: I don’t have any other shoes with me.
Person B: Never mind, you can borrow a pair of rain boots.
He’s just being mean; don’t pay him no nevermind!
Person A: The tickets were all sold out.
Person B: Never mind, we can go next time they’re in town.
Don’t you worry, ‘cause that don’t make no nevermind.
We won’t get to the end of the street in that car, never mind all the way to Vegas. It don’t make me no nevermind what he thinks.

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Proceed vs Precede | Difference & Meaning

The verb proceed means “continue,” “carry on,” or “advance” (e.g., “Please proceed with caution”), while the verb precede means “come/happen before” and is often used in the passive voice. In the sentence, “The film will be preceded by an introduction from the director,” for instance, the introduction comes before the film showing.

Proceed vs precede examples
Proceed in a sentence Precede in a sentence
After the cocktail reception, we proceeded with the main event. The main event was preceded by a cocktail reception.
Please proceed down the hall and take your seats in the main auditorium. A cocktail reception in the lobby will precede the main event in the auditorium.
The project is proceeding according to plan. The project was a great success thanks to the thorough planning that preceded it.

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Purposely vs Purposefully | Difference & Meaning

Purposely and purposefully are often used interchangeably to mean “on purpose” (e.g., “purposely/purposefully avoid someone”), but purposefully can also mean “with purpose” or “in a meaningful or determined way” (e.g., “walk confidently and purposefully”).

Purposely or purposefully in a sentence examples
  • I think he purposely/purposefully didn’t remind me about the deadline, hoping I’d forget.
  • Do you think she’s purposely/purposefully avoiding me?
  • The pricing plans are purposely/purposefully complicated so they’re difficult to compare with others.
  • We need to approach these kinds of projects more purposefully next time, setting ourselves clearer goals.
  • We need to approach these kinds of projects more purposely next time, setting ourselves clearer goals.
  • She strode purposefully ahead, trying to set the pace.
  • She strode purposely ahead, trying to set the pace.
Note
Although purposely and purposefully are commonly used interchangeably to mean “intentionally” or “deliberately,” some style guides recommend using them with separate meanings to avoid any ambiguity (e.g., “purposefully walk” could mean “deliberately not take the bus” or “walk in a determined way”).

According to this advice, you should always use purposely when the meaning is simply “intentionally/on purpose/deliberately.”

  • I think he purposely didn’t remind me about the deadline.
  • I think he purposefully didn’t remind me about the deadline.
  • Is she purposely avoiding me?
  • Is she purposefully avoiding me?
  • The pricing plans are purposely complicated.
  • The pricing plans are purposefully complicated.

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No Where or Nowhere | Meaning & Example Sentences

Nowhere is spelled as one word. It is typically used as an adverb meaning “not anywhere” and is part of many frequently used, everyday phrases such as “nowhere near” and “going nowhere.”

Nowhere in a sentence examples
  • There was nowhere to sit in the cafe so we got our drinks to go.
  • There was no where to sit in the cafe so we got our drinks to go.
  • The movie was nowhere near as bad as the reviews said it was.
  • The movie was no where near as bad as the reviews said it was.
  • The negotiations are dragging on and probably going nowhere.
  • The negotiations are dragging on and probably going no where.

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Carmel or Caramel | Difference & Pronunciation

Carmel is a common misspelling of the word caramel. However, “caramel” can be pronounced with or without the “a” syllable in American English.

  • Caramel is a type of candy or a burnt-sugar substance used as an ingredient.
  • You can pronounce the word “caramel” as (three syllables) or (two syllables).
Caramel examples in a sentence
  • I had the caramel macchiato, but it was too sweet for me.
  • I had the carmel macchiato, but it was too sweet for me.
  • I ate a whole bag of caramels while watching the movie.
  • I ate a whole bag of carmels while watching the movie.

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Premier vs Premiere | Meaning, Difference & Spelling

A premiere is the first performance of something (e.g., “a movie premiere”), while a premier is the head of a government (e.g., “the Premier of British Columbia”).

  • “Premiere” is used as a noun (e.g., “world premiere”) and a verb (e.g., “The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival”).
  • “Premier” is used as a noun (e.g., “the Premier of South Australia”) and an adjective meaning “best” or “leading” (e.g., “one of the country’s premier universities”).
Premiere vs premier
Premiere examples in a sentence Premier examples in a sentence
She is performing in the opera’s US premiere. Presidents and premiers from all over the world attended her state funeral.
The new work will premiere at Houston Grand Opera next year. The convention is widely regarded as the premier event in the industry calendar.

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Active Voice | Examples, Definition & Use

Sentences can be in the active voice (e.g., “He made the breakfast”) or the passive voice (e.g., “The breakfast was made by him”).

In the active voice, the grammatical subject of the sentence is the “doer” of the action described by the verb (“He made…”), but in the passive voice, the subject is the “recipient” of this action (“The breakfast was made…”).

Active voice examples in a sentence
My friend cuts my hair.

The mail carrier delivered the letter at about 10 a.m.

Did the man pick up the litter?

Who is writing the report?

The dog had eaten everything.

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Passive Voice | Definition, Examples & Use

Sentences can be in the passive voice (e.g., “The window was cleaned”) or the active voice (e.g., “He cleaned the window”). In the active voice, the “doer” of the action described by the verb is the grammatical subject of the sentence (“He cleaned…”), but in the passive voice, the subject is the “recipient” of this action (“The window was cleaned…”).

Choosing the passive voice allows us to make the sentence or clause “about” the recipient rather than the doer (or “agent”).

You construct the passive by using a form of the auxiliary verb be (e.g., “was”) and the past participle of the main verb (e.g., “cleaned”). If you want to mention the agent in the passive voice, it comes after the preposition by (e.g., “…was cleaned by him”).

Passive voice examples in a sentence
All the ingredients are cooled before mixing.

These ones are made by a different company.

It is scheduled for release next week.

They said the delivery had already been made.

When were these windows last cleaned?

The event is going to be held in New York, but the date has yet to be announced.

The movie has been slammed on social media.

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