Originally published by Wayne.
Plenty of smart people make mistakes with reflexive pronouns, so it’s worth reviewing their correct use.
First, let’s list them: The reflexive pronouns are
- herself
- himself
- itself
- myself
- oneself
- ourselves
- themselves
- yourself, yourselves
Second, let’s take a little quiz. Which is correct?
1. If you have any questions, please call Alexis or myself.
2. According to the will, the property is to be divided equally between yourself and Mr. Hill.
Well, it was a trick. Neither is correct. Let’s discuss the two rules for reflexive pronouns, and we’ll come back to these two sentences later.
Rule one: Use a reflexive pronoun for the object when the subject and object are the same.
This is simpler than it sounds, and writers rarely, if ever, make mistakes in using reflexive pronouns in this way. For example:
3. Megan accidentally cut herself.
Here the subject, Megan, and the object, herself, are the same person; thus, the reflexive pronoun is correct. If you wrote Megan accidentally cut her, readers would assume that her was another person, not Megan. One more example:
4. Even though Daniel is an attorney, he should not represent himself.
Here, the subject of the main clause is the pronoun he, and the object is the reflexive pronoun himself, but the two refer to the same person, Daniel.
Rule two: Use a reflexive pronoun if the subject or object is repeated for emphasis.
Here, the reflexive pronoun has an antecedent (earlier reference) in the sentence, and the sentence would be grammatically correct even without the reflexive pronoun. For example:
5. Craig testified that the bag was green, but he had not seen it himself.
6. Veronica decided to draft the interrogatories herself.
In both these examples, the sentences would be correct and would still have the same essential meaning without the reflexive pronouns:
5a. Craig testified that the bag was green, but he had not seen it.
6a. Veronica decided to draft the interrogatories.
But the reflexive pronouns add emphasis; they intensify the meaning. In fact, pronouns used this way are also called intensive pronouns. These pronouns can also intensify by repeating the subject, as in these examples:
7. Mr. Fowler himself must register the name change.
8. The senator herself wrote me a letter.
Again, these sentences would be fine without the reflexive pronouns:
7a. Mr. Fowler must register the name change.
8a. The senator wrote me a letter.
But the emphasis would be lost.
New let’s return to our quiz. In both sentences, the writer (or speaker) isn’t following either of the rules just described. Rather, the writer seems to be reaching for a formal tone or a serious-sounding word:
1. If you have any questions, please call Alexis or myself.
2. According to the will, the property is to be divided equally between yourself and Mr. Hill.
Grammatically speaking, the more formal, serious-sounding word is wrong, and these sentences should use me and you:
1a. If you have any questions, please call Alexis or me.
2a. According to the will, the property is to be divided equally between you and Mr. Hill.
With example 1a, it’s even possible that some writers are engaging in what’s called “hypercorrection.” Gun-shy from years of being corrected for saying things like You and me should go to Jed’s house or Rosanna and me are planning to visit Spain, these speakers practice me avoidance. Here’s the apparent thought process: Whenever I say “Rosanna and me,” I get corrected, so I’d better do something else. I’ll try “Rosanna and myself.” (In the hypercorrected sentences involving Jed and Rosanna, the correct pronoun is I.)
Hypercorrection means “trying so hard to be right that you’re wrong.” Don’t hypercorrect yourself. (By the way, that sentence has in implied subject of you, so it’s correctly using the reflexive pronoun.) You yourself can use reflexive pronouns correctly.
Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.
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