Grammar School - Tip #102

Tip #102: Me, Myself and I

We talked about the difference between I and me in Tip #101, but what about the use of myself versus me? Myself, himself, herself or themselves is used when the “doer” is also the “doee”, hence the word “self”. Here are some examples.

• He is riding the bike by himself. “He” and “himself” refer to the same person riding the bike.

• Please send the documents to myself for filing. The person being requested to send the documents is not the same person doing the filing; therefore “myself” should be “me”.

• It’s a surprise. Keep the secret to yourselves. The people being requested to keep the secret are the ones keeping the secret. Same people, therefore this sentence is correct.

• I did the work myself. I and myself both refer to me – the same person.

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