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 ...

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, ...

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 ...

If the misuse of “I” and “me” is an irritant, the abuse of “myself” is nothing short of a blot on humanity. ‘Would you please give a lesson on the proper use of ‘myself’?” writes Nancy Nagel. “People ...

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 ...

If so, please read on, because the Grammar Police want you to stop. But let’s start here: I know many of you watch TV or your phone with your teeth grinding over ...

This article discusses the passive of reflexive verbs in German and Icelandic. This passive poses a challenge for Binding Principle A as it can be shown that its implicit argument, although ...

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 ...