6.3.6 Limit your use of the -self words |
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Pronouns ending in "self" are a great temptation for modern writers. For instance, one might write the sentence, "He gave the data to Fred and myself." The writer, in the back of his or her mind, could not decide on the grammar. Was "I" or "me" correct? The writer has chosen to dodge the problem by using the "self" word. But the writer is not half right, but all wrong. The "self" words have but two major uses in English. The first is called the intensive use; it is used for emphasis: "I, myself, had to write the memo." The other use is called reflexive; the "self" reflects to another pronoun: "I washed myself." You should notice that in both examples an "I" precedes the "self" word. Watch for that: a "she" or "her" should precede a "herself"; a "we" or "us" should precede an "ourselves"; and so forth. In the first sentence cited, if the writer had written "He gave the data to Fred and I," the writer would probably have gotten away with it even though the "I" should be a "me." But with the "self" word the writer was obviously dodging. Stated simplistically, the rule would be, "Go forward confidently in grammar; don't dodge." |
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