Grammar Guidelines

I hear many people these days on TV and radio using "themself." So why are they using it and what are they trying to communicate? Let's think about it logically. "Self" refers to one person. When you're using "them," you're talking about multiple people, not just one person. Some people are using the term "themself" as a way to get around unknown gender without having to say a mouthful like "himself or herself." However, "themself" is not correct. For example, someone might say, "A person can find themself in a precarious situation very quickly." The grammatically correct way to say this is, "A person can find himself or herself in a precarious situation very quickly." Also, "hisself" is not correct. I have heard this one many times too. I think this is really just a result of lazy speech. Swallowing that "m" is somewhat easier. However, it is not a word. Correct: the...

"It's" or "Its?" Do they have different meanings? Yes, they do and they are misused quite a lot. "It's" is a contraction (i.e., a short version of one or two words using an apostrophe) that means "it is." "Its" is a possessive pronoun. Examples: It's going to take a lot of hard work and determination. The best thing about this car is its fuel efficiency.

Improper use of "I" and "me" seems to be a staple of reality TV. So I'm writing this post to help people understand how to use these pronouns. My hope is that I won't hear this very common mistake quite so frequently. Simply stated, "I" is used when it is the subject of the sentence or renames the subject; "me" is used when it is the object. In the example below, Sawyer and I/me are acting as the subjects of the sentence. Sawyer and ( I or me ) have been married for three years. (Tip: Cut out "Sawyer and" and see which pronoun sounds right) Correct Answer: I In this example, "she" is the subject because "she" is doing the asking. Lisa and I/me are acting as the objects. She asked Lisa and ( I or me ) to be bridesmaids at her wedding. Correct Answer: me