Which is correct 'I would like to meet with Jane and yourself' or 'I would like to meet with Jane and you'?

It's the second.

Yourself, myself and ourselves are reflexive pronouns. They reflect back on a previous pronoun.

Put it this way: they need a mate - a compatible word earlier in the sentence.

The mate for myself is I so: 'I will do it myself' is correct. The mate for yourself is you, so 'You must do it yourself' is correct. The mate for ourselves is we, so 'We will do it ourselves' is correct.

Some people use yourself and yourselves on their own to make their letters and emails seem more formal and therefore (they think) more important or respectful. It just makes their writing stuffy and the grammatical error annoys sticklers. (And you don't want to get offside with them.)

 

 

 

Interested in a workshop on business writing for your team? Contact us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We'll put you in touch with a trainer, not a salesperson.

Ready for more? See the archive

Leading people who work from home

Interested in training for your leaders?

We’ll show your leaders how to keep their teams motivated and productive.

Learn more

Register for The Skillset Brief

Tips, advice and insights from our specialists.

It's not a newsletter. There's no news and it's not about us - just ideas you can use.

We send them out every few weeks.

Register for The Skillset Brief