[Closed] Reflexive pronoun abuse

Just off to Google.....

kinda maniac knows what a reflexive pronoun is? 😆

This bugs me too. Also: "I have ran it"

Nope.

None the wiser.

2/10. Too many correct sentences with too much proper punctuation and capitalization...

Nope - it happens where I work to - people seem to think they sound more business-like/well-educated - far from it!

Might just as well go ahead and start referring to yerself in the 3rd person.

It's not "would of" it's "would uv", which is a perfectly acceptable truncation of have.

Look, everyone needs to use correct grammar in a thread like this.
urhmmm...

where I work to

It's not "would of" it's "would uv"

EDIT : Oh and it's not a truncation, it's an elision. Having just written that, I'm perhaps a little bit too uptight about all of this after all 🙂

reflexive pronoun

truncation

anyone have a dictionary?

I just want to punch Dave.

Nope.

None the wiser.

I was thinking about this the other day. You can speak a language without having any idea how it works - even implement elements of language that are very nuanced like [url= https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/sep/13/sentence-order-adjectives-rule-elements-of-eloquence-dictionary ]'Order Force' [/url]- everyone can do it without having to understand the mechanics of it or even know that there [i]are[i] any mechanics to it at all- and yet the mechanics of it are so complex and convoluted that you can also make a lifetimes study of them.

You can speak a language without having any idea how it works

As a product of English language education during the 1970's, this was very much the way. We were taught very little grammar. Which I found very confusing when the foreign languages department chose to start our French and German education with nothing but grammar.

The 'would of' is disturbingly common, I only correct Slack jr now as otherwise I'd bore myself. Although it could be written as 'would've' perhaps...?

I find the use of "off of" annoying myself (as is the unnecessary use of reflexive pronouns)

I can't stand off of either. It's so clunky, it doesn't sound right at all.

My wife is a linguist, and generally prescriptivist stances on language change like this are annoying and ignorant.

Except in this case. The incorrect use of myself really, really boils my piss. It's usually used by thick people trying to sound more intelligent than they are, with the effect that it actually makes them sound stupider.

disappointing thread. a language changes or dies. A real damp [s]squid[/s] squib

I would of joined this thread earlier but myself had to get some sleep. I’m off of the bed now though.

Oh dear...

"punctuation and capitalization..."

"it happens where I work to..."

Cue the 'language is constantly evolving and common standards dunt matter/dense lazy barstewards" brigade

“If you have any questions, please contact ourselves”

“Myself and Andy put together these slides”

😀

Dave and me

It all started going wrong in pre-/ infant school when teachers allowed children to sound out words and write down what they thought was the correct spelling ..deeming this to be acceptable !
I was horrified to see this going on in a class visit when my son was 4/ 5 years old (10 years ago)..its just wrong !
Admittedly I'm a bit of a dinosaur..but learning to spell by repetition is surely the only way ..like wot I wos teached when I was a lad.

My kids were never taught that way, I was.

Nope - it happens where I work to - people seem to think they sound more business-like/well-educated - far from it!

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😀

It all started going wrong in pre-/ infant school when teachers allowed children to sound out words and write down what they thought was the correct spelling ..deeming this to be acceptable !

I think this was a fad a while ago and was not universal even then.

I constantly have to correct my kids when they say things like 'Iook what I done'. FFS. My own flesh and blood!

My wife on the other hand thinks 'off of' is an acceptable alternative. She is highly educated, but American. She thinks eating with your fork in your right hand is ok too.

it's up there with "would of" - the people clearly don't understand that what they're saying makes no sense

In the written form yes, although when spoken "would of" and "would've" don't actually sound that different.

A bugbear of mine is "I did this at 3am in the morning"

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it's up there with "would of"

Yeah. Surely it's "woud of."

Rob Hilton - Member
This bugs [s]me too[/s] myself to

ftfy

Not (I believe) a reflexive pronoun.. but what's all this putting "Super" in front of words. I was super excited to see this is in nearly every bloody online review on Singletrack (ok, the few I've read.)
Stop it. It's super stupid. In English we have the word 'very'. Or if that isn't expressive enough: "****ing".

'Iook what I done'

You're not even in Scotland, are you? It's contagious with all the modern apprentice youth in our place.

"I done a restore and have went to the cludgie"

Nah. That grammatically correct enough, I reckon. Just a question of style.

I see it a lot in our office, I think it's actually born of a desire to appear slightly more polite, e.g. 'send it to myself' vs. 'send it to me'.

Small, possibly non-existent distinction, but that's how it comes across.

Personal pet hate is the complete perversion of the phrase 'I couldn't care less' because stupid Americans couldn't understand it, instead saying 'could care less' even though they are trying to indicate that they care so little, it wouldn't be possible to care less. This one has spread back across the Atlantic I've noticed... 👿

The correct contraction of "would have" is "would've" which of course sounds like "would of".

One that annoys me is using "most well" instead of "best" as in "He was the best known cyclist of his generation"

people seem to think they sound more business-like/well-educated - far from it!

This.

I can't stand off of either. It's so clunky, it doesn't sound right at all.

That's because it's not. It generally should be 'from'.

Yeah I hear a lot of people using that sort of weird language on the phone:

[i]"Ourselves will contact yourselves by close of business."
"Myself and Andy have been working on this for yourself."[/i]

Themselves clearly think it is some kind posh/formal business speak, but really it just makes themselves sound like moronselves.

What's wrong with "I", "we", "you"? 😐

Isn't it short for "me, myself, personally"?

Personal pet hate is the complete perversion of the phrase 'I couldn't care less' because stupid Americans couldn't understand it, instead saying 'could care less' even though they are trying to indicate that they care so little, it wouldn't be possible to care less. This one has spread back across the Atlantic I've noticed...

You may enjoy...

I would've thought this:

He was the best known cyclist of his generation

could imply he was the 'best' of the 'known cyclists'.
ie: Many cyclist's were known, but he was the best (cyclist) among them.

But could equally be read as best known among a group of cyclists. There's some room for ambiguity in interpretation even if in the strictest literal sense if means what you say.

Where as this:

He was the most well known cyclist of his generation

most definitely says he was the one that was best known, but not necessarily the best (cyclist) of the lesser known cyclists.

Or have I got exposed my own misunderstanding there?

Bugger, there was me thinking I'd made an original observation! Bloody literate comedians...

I use "most well" in something like: "Most well known professional cyclists use periodisation training". I.e. the majority.

In your first interpretation I'd write "He was the best, known, cyclist of his generation.". If spoken then that sentence would have a pause then stress on the "known"

Wood have
Can be either I am in possession of a quantity of timber
Or
I would like to acquire a forest.
Then again I no 0.

I'd write "He was the best, known, cyclist of his generation."

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Also: "I have ran it"

This is an Americanism, I looked it up as I wanted to correct the person using it. Apparently, it's "correct".

Pah!

myself. most overused word in the workplace!

Count how many times you hear it in a week/ day. then work out hoe many times it was needed: I'm not sure it's the correct word 90% of the instances I hear it.

Count how many times you hear it in a week/ day. then work out hoe many times it was needed: I'm not sure it's the correct word 90% of the instances I hear it.

I've done this myself. Enlightening.

The abuse of the reflexive pronoun is made even worse by the addition of the entirely superfluous 'at all'. As in the now standard question from the server "would you like any desserts for yourself at all?". It's a wonder I haven't killed anyone for that. Yet.

Oh, and 'off of' is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it's a joke.

comma splices get my goat, they don't really.

Hasn't "would of" evolved from "would've" ?

Oh, and 'off of' is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it's a joke.

I think it started as a joke, but lately seems to have been adopted into normal usage.

Oh, and 'off of' is deliberately clumsy and wrong, it's a joke.

You can blame Scott Mills off of the radio for that one.

Hasn't "would of" evolved from "would've" ?

I'm on a really dull conference call. Speaker just said "if you have any questions contact myself".

OK, my first question is...

Pardon?

You can blame Scott Mills off of the radio for that one.

...and Cougar off of computers for perpetuating it.

That's the response to Tourupps 😆

The thread has listed most of my grammar pet peeves, but the worst one of all? Using a bloody question mark when you should use a bloody colon!

(I blame Buzzfeed)

WTAF - David and myself would be at least the correct order

David and myself would be at least the correct order

Jimmy I'm still waiting on ye getting off of the cludgie so I can see whit ye done.

Cabin crew. "Would you like any scratchcards yourself, at all?". It's just a way of filling out the sentence to delay the moment when you say no. You wouldn't. At all.

Jimmy I'm still waiting on you getting off of the cludgie so I can see whit ye done.

Surely, it should be affy?

David and I, surely?

You use "I" when it's the subject of the verb and "me" when it's the object. So:

"I hit him"

"He hit me"

In "David and I are going to ride our bikes", OK.
But "you can join David and me on our bike ride".

This. It depends if you're the subject or the object.

A handy way of working it out is to remove David from the equation. Take: "Me and David are going to ride our bikes." Sounds ok? Removing David, "Me is going to ride my bike" is clearly wrong.

"Me is going to ride my bike" is clearly wrong.

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It all started going wrong in pre-/ infant school when teachers allowed children to sound out words and write down what they thought was the correct spelling

[img] [/img]

I'll see your Walken and raise you a Shatner.

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would you like any desserts for yourself at all?

Does make me somewhat desire to assume the mantle of Jackson, to whit, replying:

"Would you like any desserts for yourself, AT ALL WHAT MOTHERF*****!?"

Or perhaps shouting something about having had enough of all this bad grammar on this form of public transport.

Incidentally, does the thread title not mean "abusing myself".

Think of the children, not in public, etc.

Think of the children

That's probably a bad idea in this case.

myself. most overused word in the workplace!

Oh I don't know. Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

Also: "I have ran it"

This is an Americanism, I looked it up as I wanted to correct the person using it. Apparently, it's "correct".

Myself thinks its worng mostly cos it sounds clunky - I could of sweared its something too do with present perfect tense?

I made myself read this thread, as education for myself.

Oh I don't know. Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

Oh, I could like, literally like myself say that!

“At all” - I thought I was the only person who found that irritating.
“Have you been here before, at all?” 😀

"would you like a coffee at all?"

"yes, I would, but only a little bit, not really enough to actually buy one"

That should confuse them.

Literally would give it a good run for that title in my workplace.

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