Grammar Nazis! Need help here...

[SaltBoy]

Which is correct:

1. I invited ourselves over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

2. I invited us over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

I was thinking number 1, but Office 2003 -- that wonderful source of grammar tips -- suggested number 2.

Thoughts?

 

[tw1164]

I think 2 is correct. num 1 . should read something like

1. I have invited ourselves over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

Who knows.

 

[coldmeat]

So you invited yourself?

Either way Office has it right, it's #2.

 

[spidey07]

What sounds correct to you?

I invited ourselves
or
I invited us

Everything else after that doesn't matter. Office is correct.

 

[imported_LoKe]

2 for sure.

1 doesn't even sound right.

EDIT: The first one could be corrected by using "We invited ourselves".

 

[HN]

'us'

And by the way, how many parents do you have?

 

[JDMnAR1]

1. We invited ourselves over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

 

[jagec]

You invited yourself? Or did your parent invite you? Or both parents? Or do they live in different houses? If so, is it really a "home"?

 

[Daverino]

They are actually two different constructions. The first is obviously wrong though. 'Ourselves' is a reflexive pronoun meant to emphasize and and refer to the plural singular subject. Since the subject is 'I,' which is the first person singular, the pronoun 'ourselves' does not work.

'I invited myself to the party'
'We invited ourselves to the party'
'They invited themselves to the party'

The second construction is just using a pronoun to fill in the direct object of the 'invite.' The expanded sentence would read:

'I invited (all of) us to the party'

The 'all of' is redundant and can be dropped out if it's pretty obvious who 'us' refers to. We assume that it is 'all of.' Therefore, semantically it is pretty similar to the reflexive construction. The difference is subtle as the reflexive version, which emphasizes the subject, gives the impression that the perhaps the person didn't have the authority to invite themselves, but did so anyways. The second version is more neutral and there's more of a question whether it was OK to make the invitation. It's only when put into context that the two sentences might seem.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

#2 for sure.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
1. We invited ourselves over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

Bingo.

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: JDMnAR1
1. We invited ourselves over to my parent?s home for dinner on Sunday.

Bingo.

Yes, that is more better.