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Perfect Stranger Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

Grammar question no. 86: him or himself

Dear All,

Could you please tell me whether in the following sentence...

1) ...I should replace him with himself and if so, why?
2) ... the past tense in the second part should be replaced by if they hadn't been photoshopped, and if so, why?

Even if he had pictures of him and Madonna, I'd check first if they weren't photoshopped.


Thank you
  

Top answer

If he and him are the same person, yes, you should use himself . As for the tense in the last part of the sentence: I'd check first to see if they were / had been photo-shopped.

— Philip

  • If he and him are the same person, yes, you should use himself .
  • As for the tense in the last part of the sentence: I'd check first to see if they were / had been photo-shopped.
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3 Answers
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If he and him are the same person, yes, you should use himself. As for the tense in the last part of the sentence: I'd check first to see if they were / had been photo-shopped.
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PhilipI'd check first to see if they were / had been photo-shopped.
Dear Philip, thank you. I always hope that you drop a line in my posts because your answers are clear and spot on. May I ask you for further explanation? What would be the rule of thumb to follow when it comes down to the choice between had been and were in that sen
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No "rule" here. Were refers to their current state, while had been refers to the previous action itself.
The position of first is your choice.
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