American Grammar Checkup: 1 Usage Error Everyone's Making

I first published this post in December 2014, when I was just beginning to blog. I think pronouns are an important subject for all of us, so I'm recycling it for those who never saw it.

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Pronouns! Do you know how many people misuse pronouns? And of all the words to use correctly, these would be the ones. But there is a ton of confusion about most of them, especially the "self" ones. So let's see if I can help you understand how to use these correctly.

The "self" pronouns are also known as reflexive pronouns. The only time we can use them is when they "reflect" back to the subject of the sentence and are the SAME person as the subject (think "mirror image"). 

Yes: I cut myself shaving. (I and myself are the same person)
Yes: John sings to himself in the shower. (John and himself are the same person)
Yes: Sarah herself heard Rod say that! (Sarah and herself are the same person.)

NO: Myself and John went to the movies. (Did "myself" go to the movies?)
NO: John and myself went to the movies. (See above question.)
NO: Susan asked John and myself . . .

I believe this all came about for two reasons:
1) We are terrified of using I and me, and myself just sounds so good.
2) Everyone uses the self pronouns, so they must be right . . . right? No. Not necessarily. 

So the next time you're tempted to use any self pronoun, stop. Think. Does it reflect back to the subject? If it doesn't, use a different pronoun.

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All of my previous LI posts can be seen here.

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As an international corporate trainer, I have worked worldwide for nearly 20 years creating and leading American grammar (U.S. only), business writing, and a variety of interpersonal communication skills workshops. I am also a copy editor and proofreader, mainly of business-related materials. My home base is in Massachusetts, but I will travel anywhere to help business professionals look and sound as smart as they are.