What's the deal with "myself"? I hear it all the time:
Myself and Bocephus went to the bar for a snootful.
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| Here I sit, judging myself.
The problem with "myself" in the snootful sentence is that it should be a reflexive pronoun. Reflexive pronouns end in -self and refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause.
Maybe this explanation is simpler: Myself is a pronoun. Pronouns take the place of a noun. Example: Henry's dead, and he don't look so good. "Henry" is the noun. "He" is the pronoun. As a pronoun, "myself" needs to take the place of a noun. Example: Ah'm fixin' to fix myself some popcorn to eat while I watch the best movie ever, Walkin' Tall. "Ah'm" (a.k.a. I'm) is the noun. Thus, "myself" is the reflexive pronoun that refers to I. No more using myself all by itself because its feelings are hurt when it's alone and lonely. It has to be paired with a noun. Would anyone like to have some fun writing a sentence with the correct or incorrect use of "myself"? Be as creative as you like. Infinities of love, Janie Junebug 
Thanks, fishducky!
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Perhaps a new language is developing where none of the old rules apply? Isn't there a saying: 'rules are made to be broken'?
ReplyDeleteA language must change or it dies, but some of the changes are too much for this grammarian.
DeleteI'm not so good at exercises any more, so I'll just add my pet peeve and leave: Me and Bocephus went to the bar.
ReplyDeleteWe'll chat about "me" and "I" soon. I hate the me thing, too.
Deletei myself liked your write up
ReplyDeletegood day dear
What about in the song, "All by Myself"? That has to be proper English, unless you're telling me Eric Carmen has been lying to us since 1975. Why are you calling Eric Carmen a liar!?!
ReplyDeleteI call Eric Carmen a liar because when I was a mere slip of a girl in 1975, his stupid song came out and I had to listen to it on the radio like ten jillion times. Then I met Eric Carmen and he said, "I wanna touch yer bodacious ta-tas all by myself, and if you like it, my buddy Earl will come in to touch yer bodacious ta-tas, too." I allowed Eric Carmen to touch the bodacious ones, but there weren't no buddy Earl. I been disappointed ever since.
DeleteI think people often resort to using "myself" instead of "me" because they are afraid of using "me" wrongly and they know that "I" just doesn't sound right. Example 1: "Grandpa took Ernest and myself fishing." And sometimes they are afraid of using "I" wrongly. Example 2: "Ernest and myself went fishing with Grandpa." Now that I have written this comment, please tell me if I should have used "wrong" instead of "wrongly"? I'm all confused but so relieved that you keep us sorted out. Cheers, Wilma
ReplyDeleteI don't mind your wrongly. "Using" is your verb, and "wrongly" is your adverb. I think people don't use wrongly often because it suggests a moral wrongness, but wrongly can be used in place of incorrectly. You're probably right about the I and me problem, but I'm not sure when it became a problem. I'm sure, however, that the problem continues to grow. My OCD takes great pleasure in sorting out the world's confusion. My OCD should have run for president, all by itself.
DeleteYou lost me when you brought up drinking! ;p
ReplyDeleteI so love the picture!!!! Perfect caption.
Drinking? Oh, yeah, myself and Bocephus. We had so much fun I almost forget myself.
DeleteMyself has never heard of them reflexive pronoun thing. ;)
ReplyDeleteMyself has never heard yourself say a single word 'bout them thangs.
DeleteI notice people, even well educated people on news broadcasts, using "myself" incorrectly all the time. Thanks for offering some clarity.
ReplyDeleteYes! I don't like to watch news shows on TV for numerous reasons, and one of them is the poor grammar. Take me back to pre-Internet days when The Washington Post landed on my doorstep every morning, except when the Sunday edition arrived on Saturday evening and the front page followed in the morning.
DeleteEvery time I use myself, himself, herself, etc., microsoft word tells me I'm wrong. So I've been ignoring it for years.....
ReplyDeleteWord is wrong about a lot of stuff. I saw Word chase after Bocephus at the bar last night. Word gives us hints about usage and spelling that we need to check, but it is not The Queen of Grammar. I know because I am The Queen of Grammar.
DeleteI knew someone who kept referring to her husband as "Himself"!!
ReplyDeleteI know a blogger who refers to her husband in a humorous fashion as "Himself." I can't remember who she is. Dear Close Personal Blogger Friend, If you call your husband "Himself" on your blog, please come forward to be commended because you is funny.
DeleteThanks for clarifying, Janie. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, dear Murees. I hope you're well.
DeleteAs for myself, I don't use that particular word very often so I don't know if I use it correctly or not. :)
ReplyDeleteMyself has never noticed yourself having a problem with myself, although I'm sure myself can get pretty annoying.
DeleteThis would be good if I understood any of it...............lol
ReplyDeleteNo one understands it because I made it up.
DeleteJanie, I enjoyed your humorous lesson regarding the rule for the usage of "myself" and all the comments that followed. It makes me wondering how often I use myself right or wrong now. I betcha the next time I insert "myself" in a sentence then I'll be checking to see if I get it right. You might have to help me out, though. lol :)
ReplyDeleteI'm here to provide assistance. If you want to text me before you speak, let me know what you want to say and I'll give it a thumbs up or down. Of course, by the time we finish texting, your opportunity to join the conversation will probably be gone.
DeleteI must check myself before I wreck myself?!
ReplyDelete