Themselves can F*** them

Grammar Girl is a blog or email or podcast written by, well, Grammar Girl, wherein she addresses issues dealing with girls. No, just kidding. Grammar issues. She addresses grammar issues.

There are those of us who take their grammar seriously. We read books about it, such as "Eats Shoots and Leaves" even if there's not going to be a test. So, I signed up for her email which then directs the reader to a podcast or blog or something.

Today, I received an e-mail from Grammar Girl asking "Are you sure you're using dashes correctly?"

Well, no, Grammar Girl, I'm not sure.

I thought I was doing fine with them, wielding dashes as though I hadn't a care in the world--em dashes, en dashes, bring 'em on. Life was good. Then you have to bring up this big nagging doubt and bring it all crashing to the ground.

Blow me, Grammar Girl. Maybe my dashes aren't what you should be worrying about.

Maybe you should spend your time teaching people about reflexive pronouns. You know who I'm talking about: those people who keep writing "Please send it to myself."

It's not bad enough they don't know "I" from "me" and keep writing "You can talk to him or I" because they think "I" sounds more formal.

No, they have to start messing around with reflexive pronouns.

And when you try to be gentle with them, as you would with, oh, a lost child or a confused wombat, and say, "No, I can't give it to yourself. I can give it to you. I can give it to myself, You can give it to yourself, but you can't give it to myself," they start wondering what it is your being so stingy with, and ignore the bigger picture.

So, why don't you go work on that, Grammar Girl, and stop worrying about my dashes. They're just fine the way they is.