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There's a similar question to this in this discussion, but my question is focused on the usage of 'as well as'.

There was someone on Facebook seemed to agree with my opinion/condition and he said as well as me. I sense this saying sounds awkward. I mean, he could say me too instead. Is it OK to use 'as well as' that way?

The context that Old Brixtonian has requested:

A: I can't open this game. What's the problem?

B: As well as me. I hope they will fix the game.

Old Brixtonian
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user516076
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1 Answers1

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Firstly...
If you had said, "I can open this game", he could have said, "Me too" or, even better, "So can I" or "Yes, I can too," because they are all positive, like "I can".

But "I can't" is negative and it needs a negative response. "Neither can I" would be perfect. Or "No, I can't either."

They need to match: positive to positive, negative to negative.

Secondly...
In "I can't open this game", I is the subject and game is the object. If your friend replies, "As well as me", me is the object. So it means "And you can't open me." That's why "Neither can I" or "No, I can't either" are better.

If someone says, "She hit him", him is the object. If you then say, "Me too" it means she also hit you. If you say, "So did I" it means you both hit him.

So. That's why I said (in my first sentence), ...or, even better, "So can I" or "Yes, I can too": me is always the object of the sentence.

Finally...
Those are the rules!! BUT - people do say, "Me too" where, grammatically, it should be "I too". If you ask children, "Who would like a sugary drink?" they will shout "Me!" It would be grammatically correct to shout "I would!", but in informal English it's a lost cause and most adults in the UK would do the same. (Especially this week if you offered them a can of petrol!)

Old Brixtonian
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  • Thank you. Regarding your example when someone says 'She hit him', in that case, can I use 'as well as me' there? To be honest, my context I've provided above isn't that relevant since I don't remember the original context. My point is, as well as me is accepted or not? I mean in any contexts? Or should I say as well as I. Since you've known the context, my real point is asking whether that phrase is possibly used or not no matter used in whatever context. – user516076 Oct 06 '21 at 05:16
  • You could use "As well as me" there, but it doesn't mean "me too". It's like this: John's father: "She hit you, John? But you had both kicked her dog." John: "She hit Richard as well as me." It means it wasn't only YOU that she hit. "As well as I" is old-fashioned English. "You can sing as well as I" means "We can sing equally well". Nowadays we usually add "can" at the end: "...as well as I can". "He sings as loudly as I". Nowadays we add "do" at the end: "as loudly as I do". Just remember that "I" is always the subject: never the object. – Old Brixtonian Oct 06 '21 at 06:11
  • To put it simply, it depends whether I/me is the subject or object. You would say "She hit me", so you say "She hit him as well as me". – Kate Bunting Oct 06 '21 at 07:40
  • @Kate Bunting: When is 'me' ever the subject, or 'I' the object? – Old Brixtonian Oct 06 '21 at 10:58
  • @OldBrixtonian - I meant that the OP could choose which to use depending on its grammatical function, of course!! – Kate Bunting Oct 06 '21 at 11:57
  • @user516076: About the positive/negative rule, you might find this helpful. – Old Brixtonian Oct 06 '21 at 12:11
  • @Kate Bunting: Ah - I get it! – Old Brixtonian Oct 06 '21 at 12:12