4 ms·

"Someone came into this room. I don't know them, but they took it upon themselves to take everything." What would be the correct pronouns here in your view?

munk-a 4y ago
I'm suddenly very interested in the distinction here - as yea themself also works in both of these contexts but themselves feels like a very distinct connotation and not incorrect. I can't point to a specific grammatical rule or learning to base this feeling off though - I don't know why it feels correct it just does.
- halter73 4y ago
  > A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers back to the subject of a sentence or clause. You can recognize a reflexive pronoun by its second half: they all end in -self or -selves. [...] Only the dual-purpose your* has two reflexive forms: singular yourself and plural yourselves. [...] But if you'd been typing in the late 1300s, themself would have been the default: it was the only version around until the mid-1400s. [...] Eventually, themselves became the only accepted form. But themself never fully disappeared. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/themself https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/themself
OJFord 4y ago
Not who you're asking, but I would say 'themself' here. I can't see that it's ('themselves' is) not plural. (Edit: Actually the more I think about that the less I'm sure what I'd say..)
- dataflow 4y ago
  Unfortunately themself is a spelling error according to my browser, and I have to admit it sounds like the most jarring option.
JasonFruit 4y ago
Honestly, while I might say such a sentence, I wouldn't allow myself to write it.
- dataflow 4y ago
  I'm curious what the closest sentence you would allow yourself to write would be.
  - JasonFruit 4y ago
    I'd go with, "Someone I don't know came into this room and took everything," or even, "Someone came into this room. I don't know them, but they took everything." I'm not against a neuter pronoun where it's justified, but there was no need for "themselves" here, and it was worse than several alternatives.
    - dataflow 4y ago
      Okay, I guess that answers my immediate sub-question, but it misses the point about the plurality of the pronouns. > or even, "Someone came into this room. I don't know them, but they took everything." "Them" would still be plural by your earlier logic though. Unless you're suggesting that you think "themselves" is plural and "themself" would be the singular?

munk-a 4y ago

I'm suddenly very interested in the distinction here - as yea themself also works in both of these contexts but themselves feels like a very distinct connotation and not incorrect. I can't point to a specific grammatical rule or learning to base this feeling off though - I don't know why it feels correct it just does.

halter73 4y ago
> A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers back to the subject of a sentence or clause. You can recognize a reflexive pronoun by its second half: they all end in -self or -selves. [...] Only the dual-purpose your* has two reflexive forms: singular yourself and plural yourselves. [...] But if you'd been typing in the late 1300s, themself would have been the default: it was the only version around until the mid-1400s. [...] Eventually, themselves became the only accepted form. But themself never fully disappeared. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/themself https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/themself

OJFord 4y ago

Not who you're asking, but I would say 'themself' here. I can't see that it's ('themselves' is) not plural. (Edit: Actually the more I think about that the less I'm sure what I'd say..)

dataflow 4y ago
Unfortunately themself is a spelling error according to my browser, and I have to admit it sounds like the most jarring option.

JasonFruit 4y ago

Honestly, while I might say such a sentence, I wouldn't allow myself to write it.

dataflow 4y ago
I'm curious what the closest sentence you would allow yourself to write would be.
- JasonFruit 4y ago
  I'd go with, "Someone I don't know came into this room and took everything," or even, "Someone came into this room. I don't know them, but they took everything." I'm not against a neuter pronoun where it's justified, but there was no need for "themselves" here, and it was worse than several alternatives.
  - dataflow 4y ago
    Okay, I guess that answers my immediate sub-question, but it misses the point about the plurality of the pronouns. > or even, "Someone came into this room. I don't know them, but they took everything." "Them" would still be plural by your earlier logic though. Unless you're suggesting that you think "themselves" is plural and "themself" would be the singular?