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Why are reflexive pronouns not used in the following examples? The sentences numbered 1 are what people say, but the sentences numbered 2 are what I understand should be be used, as the subjects of the sentences are doing some actions on themselves. Examples from the Oxford dictionary:

  1. I forgot to take my bag with me when I got off the bus.

  2. I forgot to take my bag with myself when I got off the bus.

and

  1. Please don't forget to take your passport with you.

  2. Please don't forget to take your passport with yourself.

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    Please use full words in your question. I almost thought you were asking about the Sith.
    – curiousdannii
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 8:33
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    Advice from the linguists at 'British Council' (!): Warning But we use personal pronouns, not reflexives, after prepositions of place... He had a suitcase beside him. and after with when it means "accompanied by": She had a few friends with her. // Of course, this just generalises the rule (-of-thumb?); it doesn't explain it.
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 9:16
  • One quick observation: the direct objects in your examples are not the same as the subjects. The DO in #1 is bag, and in #2, passport. If they were doing the action to themselves, the examples would be #1: I forgot myself and #2 Don't [you - implied] forget yourself.
    – anongoodnurse
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 11:37
  • @EdwinAshworth with the noteable exception of a particular idiom: "beside [x]sel(f/ves) with [emotion]", e.g. "beside himself with rage".
    – Matt E. Эллен
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 12:23
  • @Edwin: it's not just the preposition. Consider "she had a large beach towel wrapped around her" but "she wrapped a large beach towel around herself".
    – Peter Shor
    Commented Aug 21, 2014 at 12:35

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