Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips:
Getting to Your Writing Target

Tip # 143: Reflexive pronouns

Write it right:  Some tips for more effective
letters and memos

Tip # 143: Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject. For example: "He had "himself" to blame," or "I timed 'myself' in the reading test."

The same form is sometimes used as an intensive pronoun to make another word more emphatic. For example: The announcement was made by the president "himself."

Unfortunately, writers mistakenly consider "myself" to be more polite than "I" or "me." In standard English the reflexive forms are not used as substitutes for "I" or "me."

Incorrect:
Ms. Smith and myself attended the meeting.

Correct:
Ms. Smith and I attended the meeting.

Incorrect:
The project was completed by Harry and myself.

Correct:
The project was completed by Harry and me.

Select the correct pronoun in each of the sentences:

1. From (who, whom) will we receive our instructions?
   
2. The Director of Training assigned the project to Mary and (I, me).
   
3. James, Harry and (I, myself) were assigned to update the survey.

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By Gloria Pincu, M.A. , President of Basic Learning Systems, Inc.
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Here are some books on business writing that I recommend. Bull's Eye Business Writing is also available from Amazon.com. Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, author, Lynne Truss The Everything Resume Book by Steven Graber On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction , by William Knowlton Zinsser  The Gregg Reference Manual, by William A. Sabin  The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, White, E. B. White  How to Take the Fog Out of Business Writing, by Robert Gunning, Richard A. Kallan (Contributor)  More books on business writing and other business subjects  (available from Amazon.com).

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Contact Gloria Pincu at Basic Learning Systems, Inc.

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