- aprildew
Writing 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, yourself 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.
