Did you know that there is a group of pronouns called reflexive pronouns? I know, right? Not mentioned that often. I hardly remember studying them in school at all. And yet, we use them all the time—and even eloquent people use them wrong quite often. (How many interviews or speeches have you heard someone say, “Then my friend and myself….” or “He began talking to my friend and myself…” WRONG!

So here is the scoop…that I am giving to you by MYSELF…actually my technical assistant will put this all together HERSELF and make it look amazing, so I can’t really say that I am doing it all by MYSELF. Sorry…..I couldn’t help it…

First of all, myself, yourself, and ourselves are pronouns known as reflexive pronouns. That is, they reflect back to the antecedent (a noun or pronoun earlier in the sentence).

When we say that Donna is the antecedent to herself in the sentence “Donna gave herself a pat on the back,” we are saying that herself is a pronoun and Donna is the antecedent (the word that herself refers back to).

So, reflexive pronouns reflect or refer back to another word. They cannot be used alone (i.e. myself can not be used without a noun or pronoun earlier in the sentence as its antecedent).
1.       I bought myself some candy. (Myself refers back to/is reflexive of I.)
2.       Donna bought herself some candy. (Herself refers back to/is reflexive of Donna.)
3.       He looked at himself in the mirror. (Himself refers back to/is reflexive of He.)

The key to understanding and using reflexive pronouns is to not use THEM by THEMSELVES!

Thus, you wouldn’t say the following:
1.       Ray and myself went to town. (There is no noun for myself to refer back to. You need the subjective I in this sentence…Ray and I.)
2.       They gave it to him and myself. (Same thing—no noun or pronoun for myself to refer back to.)

PIN THIS POST

If Language Lady posts help you, spread the love (and the good usage!). Share a blog post on your FB wall or share a meme or two. I, myself, will appreciate it!  😀

The post Reflexive Pronouns: Myself, Himself, Herself, Ourselves, and Themselves (Never Theirselves…Let’s Get That Straight in the Title of This Post!) appeared first on Character Ink.

There are many grammar problems that people (even professionals, speakers/pastors, and writers) can get by with today without sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard. (Is that analogy too old school to use nowadays?) 🙂

I listen to talking books as I drive, clean, cook, and edit—and even million dollar best sellers somehow get away with things like “she had less smiles for him today than before” and “contest between the two of us–who works the most; who works the hardest; who is the most tired” (ouch!). However, when it comes to past participles, finger nails on the chalkboard do not even describe the sound of a couple of those from the pulpit or webinar!

Irregular verbs are just that—irregular. And irregularity, but its very nature, can be, um…..uncomfortable. (Sorry!)

The most common errors with irregular verbs occur with the past participle form.The “past participle” is the form of the verb that is used with the being or helping verbs has, have, and had.

There are two errors made with past participles:

(1) Saying the past participle form (like run from the meme above) when you need the past (ran): I run all over town today.

(2) Saying the past tense (ran, again from the meme) when you need the past participle (run): I had ran through the campground.

Here is the scoop on forming past participles in terms of regular vs irregular:

(1) Most English verbs form the past tense and the past participle by adding ed—want/wanted, help/helped, etc.

(2) About 150 common English verbs do not form them with ed only—have/had, find/found

(3) Over half of the irregular verbs that do not use ed are easy because their past is the same as their past participle form:

Today I find

Yesterday I found

Before that I HAVE found

(4) That leaves about seventy irregular verbs with different past participles than past tense—and this is where the Five Past Participle Verb Mistakes That Make a Person Sound, um, Uneducated comes in:

Today I go; yesterday I went; before that I have gone

Today I run; yesterday I ran; before that I have run

Many people do not notice if someone uses the wrong swim/swam/swum or even run/ran/run, but there are a handful that sound so wrong that they truly can make a speaker sound at least undereducated (from what he might be!)—and can truly detract from your message.

So—don’t say these!
(1) Ran for run….I have RUN.

(2) Gave for given…I have GIVEN.

(3) Went for gone…I have GONE. (very common…very bad!)

(4) Wrote for written….I have WRITTEN.

(5) Did for done…I have DONE.

Other common past participle errors:

swim         swam               had swum

dive          dived/dove      had dived

ring           rang                 had rung

spit           spit/spat          had spat

lie              lay                   had  lain        (to lie down yourself …not to place)

lay             laid                  had laid      (to place something…lay it down)

hang         hung                had hung    (to hang a picture….not to kill)

hang        hanged            had hanged     (to hang someone/execute)

The post Five Past Participle Verb Mistakes That Make a Person Sound, um, Uneducated appeared first on Character Ink.