Dave in Elkland, Pa., wrote to me recently about pronouns ending in “self” — myself, yourself, and so on — and how annoying they can be at times. “‘Myself,’ in particular, drives me near distraction,” ...

Most of us use pronouns frequently in speaking and writing. We are familiar with most types and therefore use them almost without thinking, (e.g., “I,” ”we,” and “they.“) What may surprise you, ...

“If misuse of ‘I’ and ‘me’ is an irritant, the abuse of ‘myself’ is nothing short of a blot on humanity.” — Heidi Stevens, “Words Work” I once thought that my two columns about reflexive pronouns — ...

In all your years of hanging around with English speakers, you probably never heard someone say, “Come by the office and talk to myself” or “Would someone please tell myself what’s going on?” But ...

Reflection is generally a good thing, but it can be overdone — like spending too much time staring at yourself in a mirror. Similarly, reflexive pronouns, which play a distinctive role, can be ...

A slip of the tongue is a common hazard in speech. Interestingly, depending on one’s level of excitement or agitation, the co-ordination between the brain and the tongue sometimes falters. Words get ...

Reflexive pronouns are also used when an action is mutual between subjects. For example: Wir treffen uns im Park. We meet (each other) in the park. Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to a ...