Grammar Tips & Articles »

myself, himself, yourself, herself, ourself, ourselves

This Grammar.com article is about myself, himself, yourself, herself, ourself, ourselves — enjoy your reading!


57 sec read
23,083 Views
  Ed Good  —  Grammar Tips
Font size:

The Grammar.com section on the Parts of Speech has a thorough discussion of “reflexive and intensive pronouns,” that is, the -self words. Click here for the beginning of that discussion.

Many people incorrectly use myself and substitute it for I or me. First, never use myself as the subject of a sentence. Thus, the following is incorrect:

Susan and myself appreciate your hard work on this project.

This should read:

Susan and I appreciate your hard work on this project.

Second, restrict your use of myself to those sentences where the subject and the object are the same. Thus, the following is correct:

When I hurt myself playing football, I thought I would never recover.

Third, you may use myself as an “intensive pronoun” to emphasize that you did it, not someone else. The following is correct:

I completed the project myself.

Fourth, watch out for the temptation to use myself as the object of a preposition. Remember, if someone else populates the sentence, use of the ‑self is usually incorrect. The following is incorrect:

Please send the report to Susanand myself.

This should read:

Please send the report to Susan and me.

Rate this article:

Have a discussion about this article with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this article to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "myself, himself, yourself, herself, ourself, ourselves." Grammar.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 13 Oct. 2024. <https://www.grammar.com/myself-himself-yourself-herself-ourself-ourselves>.

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Check your text and writing for style, spelling and grammar problems everywhere on the web!

    Free Writing Tool:

    Instant
    Grammar Checker

    Improve your grammar, vocabulary, style, and writing — all for FREE!


    Quiz

    Are you a grammar master?

    »
    Choose the sentence with correct use of the imperative sentence:
    A She is closing the door behind her.
    B Close the door behind you.
    C They are closing the door.
    D He wants to close the door.

    Improve your writing now:

    Download Grammar eBooks

    It’s now more important than ever to develop a powerful writing style. After all, most communication takes place in reports, emails, and instant messages.