Don’t hit yourself!

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move5000

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hello,

Don’t hit yourself!

Where is the antecedent for yourself? Is this a counter-example to
a rule? Why is this rule an exception? It is easy to add a stipulation to the
rule; but we’d rather have an explanatory rule. What is special about this sentence?

thank you
 

bhaisahab

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hello,

Don’t hit yourself!

Where is the antecedent for yourself? Is this a counter-example to
a rule? Why is this rule an exception? It is easy to add a stipulation to the
rule; but we’d rather have an explanatory rule. What is special about this sentence?

thank you
What do you think is special about it?
 

Barb_D

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In imperatives (commands) the subject is understood to be "you."

The yourself is reflexive on the unspoken but understood subject.

In your language, when using an imperative, do you use the word "you"? As in, "Please, you, sit down"?
 

move5000

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hi, thank u for your answers

does the sentence violate the rule :An anaphora must agree in person, gender, and number with its antecedent?
 

5jj

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[STRIKE]h[/STRIKE]Hi,
[STRIKE]t[/STRIKE]Thank you for your answers.

[STRIKE]d[/STRIKE]Does the sentence violate the rule :An anaphora must agree in person, gender, and number with its antecedent?
What rule?
 

Barb_D

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I had to look up anaphora. That's not what we have here.

Can you explain further the source of your confusion?

Yourself agrees with the unstated subject, you, as I said above. It agrees in number and person. "You" has no gender.
 

5jj

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RonBee

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I had to look up anaphora.
I'm guessing it's some sort of grammar term.
;-)

P.S. After reading the Wikipedia article (some of it anyway), I have noted that it is a linguistics term.
 
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Barb_D

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Oh, I read about the rhetorical device.
 

move5000

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Excuse me but how come you don't know about anaphora? English is my second language and I know about it. Are you native speakers of English?

:shock:
 

move5000

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good for you ,you fix it

good luck
 

Barb_D

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Ah, Molly, Metal, Milky... just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water.
 

BobK

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Excuse me but how come you don't know about anaphora? English is my second language and I know about it. Are you native speakers of English?

:shock:

You can speak English perfectly without knowing a bunch of jargon, and knowing such jargon doesn't help at all in using a language productively (though it does help in discussing it and may help in learning it). A little learning is a dangerous thing :-|

b

PS It is not anaphoric, but exophoric.
 
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