English question

[cdybedahl]

I just got a comment on a story that says that when someone is speaking about themselves and someone else, they always put the other person first. That is, like "Willow and I" rather than "I and Willow". I can't remember ever hearing of such a rule before. Have I just missed it? And if so, why has nobody ever pointed out to me before that I've been doing it wrong?

Comments

[watervole.livejournal.com]

There's two reasons for the rule. One is courtesy in that you put the other person's name first (and that's the one most people will tell you), but the second is more subtle.

"I and" is a very ugly sound and relatively hard to say. I suspect this is why people often use "me and", even though it is technically incorrect.

You will almost never hear "I and" in spoken speech, and the only reason you might see it in writing is becasue the writer hasn't tried saying it aloud.