My pet peeve lately is using the reflexive pronoun in either the subject or objective position. -- My brother and myself traveled to Europe this summer.   They gave the report to Mary and myself.   etc.    Yuk!



>>> "Dick Veit" <[log in to unmask]> 8/2/2009 3:25 PM >>>
ATEGers:

I'm looking for *other* examples of hypercorrection in English besides "and
I" (as in "between you and I")? That's the example I invariably hear. Are
there others?

For those not familiar with the term, hypercorrection involves speakers
overextending a legitimate correction ("Jane and me are hungry" to "Jane and
I are hungry") to the point that they "correct" perfectly standard forms
(like "Mom fed Jane and me") thereby making them nonstandard ("Mom fed Jane
and I").

Perhaps an overuse of "whom" in a mistaken attempt to be correct might be
another example, as when a student writes, "...the Russians, whom we thought
were our enemies,..." Others?

Dick Veit

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