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Following our I vs. Me e-newsletter of June 20, several readers asked about the proper use of the word myself. To help you easily identify when to correctly use this type of pronoun, we are rerunning the following article published in August 2012.
Reflexive Pronouns
Loyal reader Bill P. and others have written in commenting on what seems to
be a growing misuse of words known as reflexive pronouns. Have you
either heard or seen in writing a sentence like this, “Please give it
to John or myself”? Is that right or wrong? Let’s have a look.
Rule: Reflexive pronouns—myself, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, yourself, yourselves—should be used only when they refer back to another word in the
sentence. (A reflexive pronoun reflects the action
described by the verb.)
Correct:
I worked myself to the bone.
(The word myself refers back to the word I.)
Incorrect:
Please give it to John or myself.
(The word myself does not refer back to another word.)
Correct:
Please give it to John or me.
(Why do some people use myself rather than me in the
sentence above? Is it because it sounds more “upper class”?
Possibly—however, it is incorrect grammar.)
Reflexive pronouns can be either object pronouns (as in the examples above)
or subject pronouns, depending on the usage and context.
Correct:
I myself don't believe one word of the story.
(Here the reflexive is an emphatic pronoun repeating the subject—it's
essentially a non-punctuated appositive, which renames, restates, or
explains the word or words it refers to.)
Although the following example is not strictly an incorrect reflexive pronoun because it does not reflect the action described by the verb, the principle is the same.
Incorrect:
My brother and myself did it.
Correct:
My brother and I did it.
Because of the e-newsletter’s large readership, please submit your comments or questions regarding today's (or any past) article through GrammarBook.com’s Grammar Blog
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Pop Quiz
Select the correct sentence. Answers are at the bottom of the newsletter.
1A. Please call either Juanita or myself when you get this message.
1B. Please call either Juanita or me when you get this message.
2A. The chief of staff and myself want to thank you for your hard work.
2B. The chief of staff and I want to thank you for your hard work.
3A. Since we each have a job, we are able to support ourselves.
3B. Since we each have a job, we are able to support us.
Free BONUS Quiz for You!
[[firstname]], because you are a subscriber to the newsletter, you get access to one of the Subscribers-Only Quizzes. Click here to take a Pronouns Quiz and get your scores and explanations instantly!
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We reviewed and strengthened every quiz on our website to ensure consistency with the rules and guidelines contained in our eleventh edition of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation.
If you think you have found an error in a quiz, please email us at help@grammarbook.com.
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Wordplay
Pop Quiz Answers
1A. Please call either Juanita or myself when you get this message.
1B. Please call either Juanita or me when you get this message. (Correct)
2A. The chief of staff and myself want to thank you for your hard work.
2B. The chief of staff and I want to thank you for your hard work.
(Correct)
3A. Since we each have a job, we are able to support ourselves. (Correct)
3B. Since we each have a job, we are able to support us.
Learn all about who and whom, affect and effect, subjects and verbs, adjectives and adverbs, commas, semicolons, quotation marks, and much more by just sitting back and enjoying these easy-to-follow lessons. Tell your colleagues (and boss), children, teachers, and friends. Click here to watch. |
