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Discussion Groups / English Usage / July 2009Discuss it among yourselves
Hello: How about each of the following? Preferences? 1. Discuss it among (you/yourselves). 2. We wanted him among (us/ourselves). 3. We had an argument between (us/ourselves). 4. We had an argument among (us/ourselves). I'd avoid the reflexive when the emphatic isn't the meaning, except for 1. -- Thanks. Marius Hancu >Hello: > >How about each of the following? Preferences? > >1. Discuss it among (you/yourselves). Yourselves. >2. We wanted him among (us/ourselves). Us. >3. We had an argument between (us/ourselves). Ourselves. (We are two.) More likely to be said "We argued between ourselves." >4. We had an argument among (us/ourselves). Ourselves. (We are more than two.) More likely to be said "We argued among ourselves." >I'd avoid the reflexive when the emphatic isn't the meaning, except >for 1.  SignatureJohn >> How about each of the following? Preferences? >> [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> I'd avoid the reflexive when the emphatic isn't the meaning, except >> for 1. Just just fine until somebody gets a little verklempt. SignatureSkitt (AmE) Enough with the Coffee Talk >>> How about each of the following? Preferences? >>> [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > > Just just fine until somebody gets a little verklempt. Change the first "just" to "it's", mkay? SignatureSkitt (AmE) > >3. We had an argument between (us/ourselves). > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Ourselves. (We are more than two.) More likely to be said "We argued > among ourselves." What to do about these stats in published books? 22 on "argument among us as to" http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22argument+among+us+as+to%22&btnG=Search+Books 8 on "argument among ourselves as to" http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22argument+among+ourselves+as+to%22&btnG=Se arch+Books -- Thanks. Marius Hancu >> >3. We had an argument between (us/ourselves). >> [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >8 on "argument among ourselves as to" >http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22argument+among+ourselves+as+to%22&btnG=Se arch+Books Wel, I don't know. Could be a regional thing, or I could just be wrong. :-) SignatureJohn > >4. We had an argument among (us/ourselves). > > Ourselves. (We are more than two.) More likely to be said "We argued > among ourselves." OK, for the latter one, the stats in published books support your position:-) 25 on "argued among us" http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22argued+among+us%22&btnG=Search+Books 286 on "argued among ourselves" http://books.google.com/books?lr=&q=%22argued+among+ourselves%22&btnG=Search+Books What are really the rules re the use of the reflexive vs the normal pronoun here? -- Thanks. Marius Hancu >> >4. We had an argument among (us/ourselves). >> [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] >What are really the rules re the use of the reflexive vs the normal >pronoun here? I don't know from rules; it's just how I hear them. Of the four forms under (4), only "We argued among us" sounds actually wrong to me. SignatureJohn [snip] Thanks. Marius Hancu > 3. We had an argument between (us/ourselves). > 4. We had an argument among (us/ourselves). > > I'd avoid the reflexive when the emphatic isn't the meaning, except > for 1. I'd use it in 4 as well. "Between" emphasizes the mutuality (I argue with you, you argue with me) while "among" emphasizes the collective nature of the action (we all engage in an argument together). ¬R |
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