Grammar: Lost art of putting others first

I am not sure how many people are irritated by something that is becoming more and more prevalent in the English language. It is the order of nouns in a sentence that includes the speaker.

When someone says, “Me and Jim” or “I and Jim,” I find myself trying to get over the person putting himself first, so that I don’t listen as carefully.

In the Dec. 16 newspaper, the TNT published an op-ed by Chicago Tribune columnist Rex Huppke. The seventh paragraph begins, “I and my family”.

It jars. He is not alone in the communication industry. Many announcers and reporters put themselves first.

Not so long ago, we were taught to put other people or persons before our name in a sentence. I suppose the convention was to have a thread of “otherness” in our language.

Some think grammar is a hassle, trivial, archaic. It is. But I can’t help but think if we all made an effort to put others first, in little ways, our world might be a bit better.

This story was originally published January 4, 2018 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Grammar: Lost art of putting others first."