Yes, I heard it again. That thing that burns my ears when I hear it. I happens all too often. A newscaster said: “They are down here with Bob and I!” And it was from a newscaster of all things! Don’t they know better?

What’s wrong with that. I is an object not the subject. So it is properly “Bob and me.” You can easily tell the proper usage the way my English teacher in High School taught me. Just drop the first person and see how it sounds. Would you say “They are down here with I?” If you would, you need to go back to school.

Augustine Washington was so careful that George learned appropriate language he hired a tutor to teach him not only correct writing and language, but also good manners. That suited George well all his life. His penmanship was remarkable. And his use of language was proper in all cases.

George had to re-write certain “Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour in Company and Converstation” while in his youth. Some of the sentences he had to write over and over again were:

“Let your discourse with Men of Business be short and comprehensive.”
“Use no Reproachful Language against anyone. Neither curse nor revile.” And “Think before you speak!’

So, let’s follow George’s example and be proper in our use of language.