Lesson 5: I, Me, My and Who or That

Me and Dan went. Give it to I. Me brother lives here. The man which fixed the tap. Four small words, four different rules, and every one of them tells a listener you learned English from a book.

How to use this lesson. Read each conversation aloud, slowly, two or three times. Do not worry about speed — clear is better than fast. Notice the expressions under each conversation, then try the practice at the end. If you can, read with a friend and take turns playing each person.

1. Who's on the Trip?

Ola: Who's going?

Sara: Dan and I are going.

Ola: Just the two of you?

Sara: Dan and I booked late.

Ola: Send photos.

Useful expressionsDan and I are going.Who's going?Dan and I booked late.Send photos.

2. Keep This Quiet

Mo: Don't repeat this.

Kit: Between us, always.

Mo: The office is moving in March.

Kit: Between us and nobody else.

Mo: Thank you.

Useful expressionsBetween us, always.Don't repeat this.Between us and nobody else.The office is moving in March.

3. Who Fixed the Tap?

Ade: Who fixed the tap?

Lin: My brother did.

Ade: Is he a plumber?

Lin: My brother watches videos.

Ade: It's not leaking, so it worked.

Useful expressionsMy brother did.Who fixed the tap?My brother watches videos.It's not leaking.

4. A Present From an Aunt

Nan: Where did you get the coat?

Ero: My aunt gave me this coat.

Nan: It suits you.

Ero: She gave me a scarf as well.

Nan: Wear both.

Useful expressionsMy aunt gave me this coat.Where did you get the coat?She gave me a scarf as well.It suits you.

5. Nobody Helped

Tobi: Who painted the door?

Hana: I did it myself.

Tobi: It's straight.

Hana: I surprised myself.

Tobi: Do mine next.

Useful expressionsI did it myself.Who painted the door?I surprised myself.Do mine next.

6. Someone at the Gate

Elif: There's a man at the gate.

Pavel: The man who reads the meter?

Elif: He has a clipboard.

Pavel: That's the man who reads the meter.

Elif: I'll let him in.

Useful expressionsThe man who reads the meter?There's a man at the gate.That's the man who reads the meter.I'll let him in.

7. Which Book?

Cira: Which book?

Jonah: The one that came yesterday.

Cira: Blue cover?

Jonah: The book that came yesterday is grey.

Cira: Found it.

Useful expressionsThe one that came yesterday.Which book?The book that came yesterday is grey.Blue cover?

8. Somebody Left a Bag

Rafi: Whose bag is this?

Tess: Not mine.

Rafi: Whose keys are in it?

Tess: Ask at the desk.

Rafi: Desk it is.

Useful expressionsWhose bag is this?Not mine.Whose keys are in it?Ask at the desk.

Words to know

Dan and I	when the pair does the action, use I — and put the other person first Dan and I are going.
between us	after a preposition like between, to, for or with, use me, us, him, her, them Between us and nobody else.
my brother	my goes in front of a noun, and me never does. Once you have the subject, do not add he or she after it My brother watches videos.
gave me	after the verb, the receiver is me, not I: gave me, told me, called me My aunt gave me this coat.
myself	myself means the same person did it and received it, and it never replaces I I did it myself.
who	who is for people: the man who, the woman who, the friend who The man who reads the meter?
that	that is for things, and it works for people too when you are being informal The book that came yesterday is grey.
whose	whose asks which person owns it — one word, no apostrophe Whose bag is this?

Quick practice

Each line below has the wrong pronoun in it. Say the whole line correctly out loud, then check the answers.

1. Not: Me and Dan are going.
    Say: _______________

2. Not: Between we and nobody else.
    Say: _______________

3. Not: Me brother watches videos.
    Say: _______________

4. Not: My aunt gave I this coat.
    Say: _______________

5. Not: The man which reads the meter.
    Say: _______________

6. Not: Who's bag is this?
    Say: _______________

Show the answers

1. Dan and I are going.   2. Between us and nobody else.   3. My brother watches videos.   4. My aunt gave me this coat.   5. The man who reads the meter.   6. Whose bag is this?

Common mistakes

Not: I put the photo's on the table.

Say: I put the photos on the table.

an apostrophe never makes a plural. photos, menus, taxis, the 1990s — no apostrophe in any of them.

Not: They live a part now.

Say: They live apart now.

apart is one word and means separated. a part is a piece of something: a part of the story.

Not: Can I have an other one?

Say: Can I have another one?

another is one word. Use other as two words only after a number or the: two other rooms, the other door.

Your turn

Say these five aloud. If a sentence has two people in it, say it once with only yourself and see which word survives.

• Say who you went out with last weekend, ending with and I.
• Say who gave you something recently, using gave me.
• Name one job in your home you did yourself.
• Describe a neighbour in one sentence, using the man who or the woman who.
• Point at something near you and ask whose it is, using Whose.

Quick review

Here is the trick for the hardest one. Dan and I went, or me and Dan went? Take Dan out. I went sounds right; me went does not. Put Dan back and you have your answer. The same test works for gave me, with me and between us — drop the other person and listen.