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Reflexive or objective pronouns?
Message from mebhysz posted on 16-04-2009 at 05:18:51
Could anyone help me, please? Is the use of "you" and "him" in the following sentences correct?
1. Lucas, take some money with you in case you need it.
2. He always brings his dog with him.
In fact, I really need to know why I can't use the reflexive pronouns "yourself" and "himself" instead of "you" and "him".
Thanks!
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Edited by bridg on 11-05-2009 11:48
Message from mebhysz posted on 16-04-2009 at 05:18:51
Could anyone help me, please? Is the use of "you" and "him" in the following sentences correct?
1. Lucas, take some money with you in case you need it.
2. He always brings his dog with him.
In fact, I really need to know why I can't use the reflexive pronouns "yourself" and "himself" instead of "you" and "him".
Thanks!
-------------------
Edited by bridg on 11-05-2009 11:48
Re: Reflexive or objective pronouns? by mawoubelle, posted on 16-04-2009 at 12:09:05
Myself,Yourself, himself and others add to the meaning of the sentence.
Indeed they mean that the subject has done something ALONE, that thing has effects on him alone.
ex: 'I can do it alone = I can do it myself'
ex: 'She only thinks of herself'
Conversely, me, you, him, her etc... actually undergo the effects of the action done by the subject.
ex: 'I asked him to come'
ex: 'You aren't nice to them'
Note that after a preposition (with, of , to, on....) it is always me, you, him, us, them.
Re: Reflexive or objective pronouns? by TravisKidd, posted on 16-04-2009 at 16:37:28
The reflexive pronouns are used when an object is the same as the subject, in a situation where usually (or at least often) the object is different from the subject.
I hit myself.
She made fun of herself.
They blamed themselves.
He took a picture of himself.
In the case of "take the money with you", who else would you take the money with?
Similarly, in the case of "bring the dog with you", who else would you bring the dog with?
Re: Reflexive or objective pronouns? by lelouch_07, posted on 11-05-2009 at 11:23:51
The reflexive pronouns (which have the same forms as the intensive pronouns) indicate that the sentence subject also receives the action of the verb. (Students who cheat on this quiz are only hurting themselves. You paid yourself a million dollars? She encouraged herself to do well.) What this means is that whenever there is a reflexive pronoun in a sentence there must be a person to whom that pronoun can "reflect." In other words, the sentence "Please hand that book to myself" would be incorrect because there is no "I" in that sentence for the "myself" to reflect to (and we would use "me" instead of "myself"). A sentence such as "I gave that book to myself for Christmas" might be silly, but it would be correct.
Be alert to a tendency to use reflexive pronoun forms (ending in -self) where they are neither appropriate nor necessary. The inappropriate reflexive form has a wonderful name: the untriggered reflexive. "Myself" tends to sound weightier, more formal, than little ol' me or I, so it has a way of sneaking into sentences where it doesn't belong.
Bob and myself I are responsible for this decision.
These decisions will be made by myself me.
If you have any questions, please contact myself me or Bob Jones.
When pronouns are combined, the reflexive will take either the first person
Juanita, Carlos, and I have deceived ourselves into believing in my uncle.
or, when there is no first person, the second person:
You and Carlos have deceived yourselves.
The indefinite pronoun (see above) one has its own reflexive form ("One must have faith in oneself."), but the other indefinite pronouns use either himself or themselves as reflexives. (There is an entire page on the pronoun one.) It is probably better to pluralize and avoid the clumsy himself or herself construction.
No one here can blame himself or herself.
The people here cannot blame themselves.
