Stop saying 'myself and...'

Honestly, nobody seems to know or care anymore. I’m an English teacher and you would be shocked at what other teachers say (including some English ones). My personal pet hate is dotting the perfect tense everywhere but I think it’s gone too far now to actually go back.

The correct usage of pronouns is covered in grade school, which was a while ago for most of us, so some people are apparently forgetting the parts of speech and their rules of usage.
“Myself” is the 1st person singular REFLEXIVE pronoun. It is used as the object of a verb or preposition. Reflexive pronouns are required when the subject and object of the verb are the same.

“He hates me” as opposed to “I hate myself”

I use the reflexive pronoun in the second sentence because I am both the actor and the receiver of the action (that’s what reflexive means).

People using “myself” as a subject pronoun and in cases where it has no reflexive function just don’t understand (or remember) basic grammar.

Has anyone mentioned the traitors yet?
It was awash with, yourself, myself, herself, hisself. I think people think it sounds more polite than saying “You.”

😬I've not gone that far but come very close. Cringe.

This!

Although you were brave putting this on here without at least a paragraph explaining that you know the difference 😆

I think it comes from people being told as children not to say Jimmy and me are going out, and applying it to every sentence, whatever the subject.

I have no problem with it at all when said by someone Irish, I think it sounds lovely, and in fact I read it in an Irish accent. But when it's said by someone with an English accent, for some reason I think of estate agents. Why?!

I quite enjoyed watching the latest series of The Traitors, well, until the round table where each player had to vote for someone else to be dismissed. Nearly every person would say, “…so I voted for yourself, [insert name]…”

I could have chucked something at the tv. Ugh.

Well it annoys me greatly but I wouldn't pick on someone's grammar on an unrelated thread, that's a dick move.

This set my teeth on edge this morning too. How on earth did that get posted? Very poor.

Totally with you.

I'm at the point where I cringe when I use the word 'myself' correctly.

I always call it estate agent language. It’s the sort of thing that’s rife in that profession- incorrect, over-flowery language by people who are trying to make themselves sound clever. I judge anyone who uses it enormously.

I've found my people. I fear that if I were to raise it where I work, I would be banished to the naughty corner.
P.s - if I was or were? Never quite sure. Yes. I'm a hypocrite.

Oh Christ the poor BT lady

My parents are Irish. I detest the incorrect usage of ‘myself’.

The problem with putting it in the corner, is that only the pedants will read it.

If everyone read it, they might learn how to speak English!

I agree it's awful but it's not a new thing - one of my favourite books was written in the 1930s and the protagonist says "myself" A LOT.

Agree with the pp raging about "Fred and I's". Awful.

These threads come up quite often on here with plenty of replies saying yes it's awful. Then I'll go onto another thread and when someone points a wrong myself out they get accused of being picky.

That is why people say it. They THINK it sounds more formal or posher but it actually does not because it is incorrect and comes across as though they are too dim to realise that.

It seems to be used by people on reality TV like The Apprentice when they seem to want to impress but laughably it has the entirely opposite effect because they can't grasp basic grammar concepts.

Yes language changes with usage but this is one case where it shouldn't!

"Well Fred and I" is correct in some circumstances.

Eg:

Fred and I went to the zoo

Clare is coming with Fred and Me on Saturday.

Remove Fred and then talk about yourself in the way you normally would.

It's horrendous OP

I’ll take “myself” and raise you incorrect use of “may”. As in “please may you tell us…”. The arch myself-er at work started using it. I got him to stop for his written work when I trained him on something, but it’s spread.

I agree.

Only an idiot would think that something so blatantly wrong and nonsensical could sound "sophisticated".

I’m Irish and due to English colonisation we speak English but there’s also the Irish language. “Myself and… is normal to say in English here as it’s a translation from Irish where “myself” would come first in the sentence. Languages evolve in different countries. Maybe some of the people you heard were brought up by Irish parents or they are from an area where this expression is used.

The late Queen regularly referred to 'My husband and I' on important court circulars and in speeches and some omefians/cartoonists took the piss out of it (can't quote names as it was many years ago). It made the 'and I' a bit of a joke so fell out of fashion. A shame as, I agree, replacing it with 'myself' is clumsy and just sounds wrong. Try saying 'my husband and I' without sounding posh.....

@brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr are you a teacher? Cheap shiny suit 🤣 blue with brown shoes...