If I may just elaborate on the "I am" vs "Am" question, "I" is required with
"am" because some sort of noun or pronoun is requred in every other case:

"I am"
"You are"
"he/she/it is"
"we are"
"they are"

In any language, internal consistancy, expecially with basic stuff like subject
/verb agreement, is stronger than the need for brevity. Its one of the few
things I learned in Linguistics class. ;)

-wyrm (AKA Tom Jefferys, Time Lord for hire. "Have TARDIS; will travel!")

"It's 'Bouquet'..." -Mrs Hyacinth (sp?) Bucket