When to use "myself"

inormallyjustlurkbut · 1 year

You use it when the first person is both the subject and the object of the sentence.

"I hurt myself." "I drove myself here."

You also use it for emphasis.

"I did it myself." "I, myself, don't go in for that kind of thing."

The two example you gave are non-standard and wouldn't fly with most style guides.

mamashaq · 1 year

it's perfectly grammatical in Irish English (and used to grammatical more generally in English) to use 'myself' non-reflexively/-emphatically.

From OED:

2) Used instead of the objective pronoun me as the object of a verb or preposition.

The use of myself as the sole object of a verb is now arch. and Irish English. In an enumeration, it does not now express any special emphasis, but is often used in preference to me.

3) Used instead of the subjective pronoun I.

[Probably < I myself by ellipsis of I.]

a. As simple subject. Now chiefly arch. and Irish English.

The verb in concord may be either in the 1st person singular or (esp. colloq.) in the 3rd.

b. As part of a compound subject or predicate, and after than( or *as. Also (chiefly Irish English) as simple predicate.

Except as simple predicate, myself in this use now expresses no special emphasis, being often preferred in order to avoid the awkwardness of I.

Steviebee123 · 1 year

It's most often misused by people who think it makes them sound clever or officious, if that helps. Its use might also have been precipitated by the speaker having been overly (and often wrongly) corrected as a young 'un when saying 'me' instead of 'I' ('It's "Joe and I", not "Joe and me!"') and so 'myself' is used to avoid the possibility of getting the I/me rule wrong.

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