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, ...

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 ...

This week’s article focuses on additional uses of the pronoun for communicative contexts. We shall be considering the following types of pronouns: reflexive and intensive pronouns, interrogative ...

Betsy in Albany had a great question about "I" versus "me." Consider the sentence: "John's hidden agenda was to make George and I say nice things about him." Should that "I" be "me"? Advertisement ...

“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 — ...