Reflexive Pronouns

I was able to catch an episode of One Tree Hill and Haley and Nathan were talking. And somehow the writers were able to work in when it's right to use "Peyton and I" and "Peyton and me" in a sentence.

Hmm...I couldn't figure it out! Well grammar wasn't a really strong subject of mine back in school. So I asked my officemate, he couldn't tell me either. Not good! Not good! We're both writers and we don't know what's the proper usage!

Well our little chat disturbed him and later on in the day he emails me. The subject: Reflexive Pronouns.

So for all of you that don't know what the heck a Reflexive Pronoun is or maybe you just need a refresher, here's the email...

Reflexive Pronoun Errors

Reflexive pronouns are a prime target for errors, and once you know how to use them correctly, you'll no doubt notice others using them incorrectly all the time. One of the most common errors is using a reflexive pronoun instead of a personal pronoun. This most often happens where the writer (or speaker) is uncertain whether to use a subjective pronoun (I, he, they) or an objective pronoun (me, him, them). Consider the following groups of sentences:

Keith and myself went swimming yesterday.
Keith and I went swimming yesterday.
Keith and me went swimming yesterday.

The show was successful because Trish and myself worked so hard.
The show was successful because Trish and I worked so hard.
The show was successful because Trish and me worked so hard.

Mother wanted Lisa and myself to be the winners
Mother wanted it to be Lisa and me to be the winners.
Mother wanted it to be Lisa and I to be the winners.

In each of the above groups, the middle sentence is the correct one. "Myself" doesn't work in any of them because there is no antecedent (in these cases, no other instance of me or I or the proper noun those pronouns substitute for) in the same sentence. The kind of usage illustrated by the first sentence of each group is becoming more common, though. It still seems lazy to me (and a writer should never be lazy where language is concerned), but it may well be acceptable English in the future.

You and I now know how to use Reflexive Pronouns! ;)

movies

I noticed that once I started working, whenever I went out to watch a movie it had to be something light. I can't stand staying in a theater and watch something heavy, it stresses me out!

And before I used to like a movie coz of the artists and the story. But ever since I started working for TV production my basis for a good movie has changed.

Of course if the story is funny or moves me, it's undeniably good. Now there are other considerations. Like if the lighting and cinematography is good. The shots or angles that were taken. The treatment. The casting - sometimes some actors just can't hack it, other times it's like they were meant for that role.

I guess piracy has helped me mature. Now there are so many movies to choose from, I'm not limited to whatever commercial release the movie houses have. And there are my friends who love to watch movies, and know what they're talking about whenever we have our discussions.

Wala lang. I just discovered this major change in me...

poppy seeds

Was channel surfing the other night and I came upon the Discovery Channel. There were really tight shots of guys eating poppy seed cake and bagels, for some reason it caught my attention. Turns out the show was Myth Busters and they were seeing if you could fail a drug test for HEROIN if you eat anything with poppy seeds in it.

The answer? YES YOU CAN! And there have been people who have lost their jobs because of "false positives." Coz heroin can be derived from poppy seeds. (But to get a high you'll probably need pounds and pounds of the seeds!) Imagine that a minimal amount of poppy seeds in that piece of cake or bagel will make a drug test result positive?

And the trace amounts remain in your blood stream for more than a day! So if you're gonna be tested, make sure not to eat anything with poppy seeds in it!