Many people misuse the word myself. Do you?
1. Carl and myself ate lunch. –> incorrect2. Mike cooked lunch for Carl and myself. –> incorrect
Myself can only be used as a reflexive pronoun or an intensive pronoun. Let’s learn about these two types of pronouns and then explore why the above sentences are wrong. Here we go!
Reflexive Pronoun
Reflexive pronouns are objects that refer (or reflect) back to the subject. They end in -self or -selves. Remember that subjects tell us whom or what a sentence is about. Here are two sentences that show you how to use myself as a reflexive pronoun.
I should treat myself to a day at the spa.
Myself is the direct object of should treat, and it’s referring back to the subject of the sentence, I. Notice that both myself and I are referring to the same person. (I made these sentence diagrams with www.letsdiagram.com.)
I smiled at myself in the mirror.
Myself is the object of the preposition at. It’s referring back to the subject of the sentence, I. Again, both myself and I are referring to the same person. Psst! Be sure to smile at yourself the next time you look in a mirror. It will brighten your day. 🙂
Intensive Pronouns
Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or pronoun. They also end in -self or -selves. If you want an exciting tidbit to share at your next party, here it is: intensive pronouns are also called emphatic appositives. Once you read up on appositives, you’ll know why!Here are two examples of how to use myself as an intensive pronoun.
I myself have never had a manicure.
Myself is being used to emphasize the pronoun I.
We diagram intensive pronouns in parentheses because they exist in the sentence
only to emphasize another word. It’s easy to see which word they
emphasize when we look at the sentence diagrams. (In both of these sentences, myself emphasizes the pronoun I.)
I myself paid for my popcorn.
Myself is being used to emphasize the pronoun I.
Common Misuses
Now let’s take another look at those two common misuses.1. Carl and myself ate lunch. –> IncorrectIn this sentence, myself is being used as a subject. But, myself isn’t a subject pronoun. That’s the role of the pronoun I. Here’s how we could fix that sentence.
Carl and I ate lunch. –> Correct
2. Mike cooked lunch for Carl and myself. –> IncorrectIn this sentence, myself is being used as an object. (It’s the object of the preposition for.) But the only way it can be used as an object is if it refers back to the subject.That’s not the case here. The subject is Mike, and myself doesn’t refer back to Mike. We need to change the word myself to me.
Mike cooked lunch for Carl and me. –> Correct
Here’s a similar sentence that uses myself as a reflexive pronoun.
I cooked lunch for Carl and myself. –> Correct
Myself is referring back to the subject. Both myself and I are referring to the same person, so it works!
There you have it! Now you know that myself can only be a reflexive or intensive pronoun, and you know what’s wrong with these two common misuses of myself.
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