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3/7/2012 0 Comments

Writing Tip: Avoid Misuse of "Myself"

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An oft-encountered misuse of a word = "Myself"

The Rule: never use "myself" if "me" leaves the meaning of the sentence the same. 

The Reason: used correctly, "myself" receives action that I do -- "I excused myself to take the phone call." So, if "I" am not already in the sentence, "myself" can't be there either.
It can also be used to *emphasize* that I am the actor in a statement -- "Many people dislike black licorice. I, myself, adore it!"
In this latter usage, "myself" can also precede "I," like so: "For myself, I don't need any other kind!"

More: each pronoun has a reflexive version that pairs with it in the same constructions illustrated above -- you + yourself, he + himself, she + herself, we + ourselves, you + yourselves, they + themselves

Does that clear things up?

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