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Originally Posted by 2006  Why would you want to use "yourself"? "yourself" is not appropriate here because it is a reflexive pronoun and your sentence doesn't call for that. Maybe "you" is particular about correct English and his/her impression of you will change for the worse. Probably "you" is not that fussy about English, but if you like to use a high standard of English don't use "yourself".
I think your original choice is fine. |
Again, I must disagree with my learned colleague. Where is it written that reflexive pronouns can only be used in one narrow fashion, 2006? Who is it that has deemed these other uses incorrect?
Obviously, these are adult users of English and they already know that there are other uses. They just want to have them graded as to respectibility.
The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language talks of override reflexives, precisely the ones Confused in MN is speaking of.
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CGEL: Override reflexives do not require the close structural link between pronoun and antecedent that characterizes basic reflexives. Indeed they can occur without any antecedent at all in the 1st and 2nd person, as in [5i], ...
[5] i The draft had been prepared by Ann and myself.
...
Override can also work in the opposite direction, with a non-reflexive form appearing instead of the normal reflexive:
[6] Why don't you buy something for YOU for a change, instead of spending all your money on your kids? |