Have you ever wondered if you should say, “Jason and myself…” or “Jason and I…”? Wonder no more! I have the answer.
“Myself” is a reflexive pronoun, a personal pronoun that relates (think “reflect”) the action of the verb back to the subject. Examples: I drove the car myself. (I-myself.) He drove by himself (he-himself). They went by themselves (they-themselves).
CLUE: When using “myself,” make sure there is an “I” earlier in the sentence.
Example 1.
INCORRECT: Nancy will travel with Todd and myself.
EXPLANATION: Let’s remove “Todd and” from the sentence. Nancy will not travel with myself. “Myself” must be a reflection of “I,” and there’s no “I” in the sentence.
CORRECT: Nancy will travel with Todd and me.
Example 2.
INCORRECT: Mother and myself will go to the store.
EXPLANATION: Let’s remove “Mother and.” Would you say, “Myself will go to the store”?
CORRECT: Mother and I will go to the store.
Reflexive pronouns like “myself” can’t be the subject of a sentence. They’re generally used to emphasize something. “I’ll do it” isn’t as strong as “I’ll do it myself.” Sometimes reflexive pronouns are called “self”ish pronouns.
Additional Resources:
* Reflexive Pronouns
* Professor Paul Brians: I/Me/Myself
* The Tongue Untied
