Me, Myself, and I (overuse of "myself")

I'll never run out of ideas for this blog. A news reader on a cable channel just uttered this little gem: "Michael and myself will be right back after this message." She should have said "Michael and I," but her mistake gave me the subject for today's post. Don't say "myself' when you mean "I" or "me"! THE IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE PRONOUN "MYSELF" IS THAT IT IS USED ONLY WHEN YOU'VE ALREADY SAID "I" OR "ME."


There are two instances when "myself" is used:

                    1. as a reflexive pronoun- I burned MYSELF while cooking dinner.
                                                              I bought MYSELF a new coat.
                                                              I bought a gift for MYSELF.
                                                              Mom told me to buy something
                                                                 for MYSELF. 
                    2.as an intensive pronoun- I did all the cooking MYSELF.

In the first four sentences "myself" is necessary to the meaning, and it reflects back to the subject "I" or the object "me."  Notice that all the sentences have either "I" or "me" before the word "myself" is used. Think of a mirror: it reflects your image back to you, but there will be no reflection without your presence. This will help you remember that you should not say "myself" if you haven't already said "I" or "me."

The "myself" in the fifth sentence is used only for emphasis and can be left out.


Confusion about the word "myself" often stems from a misunderstanding of what word to use when there is a compound element involved, as in "John and me." In such sentences, you should remove the "John and" before you decide. In the following sentences, without the "John and," you'd have no trouble knowing that "me" or "I" is the right word to use, and not "myself":
                           
                       The boss called John and ME to the office. 
                       A package was sent to John and ME.
                       John and I went to the office.



Before I sign off---- When someone asks how you are, be sure you don't answer, "Fine, and yourself?" The same rule applies to "you" and to the other personal pronouns.