Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Unflip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Unflip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Original poster

Stop saying 'myself and...'

187 replies

Ridiculous24 · 16/02/2024 04:46

I'm sorry, I'm grumpy.
It's everywhere.
The top level at work are now using it. They have English degrees.

OP posts:

iceskater1 · 16/02/2024 05:30

TheShellBeach · 16/02/2024 05:26

"Thank you for sending me those documents"

"Thank you for sending myself those documents"

Seriously, it's obvious which one is correct.

Yes it is obvious in your example, but that isn't quite the way in which OP is describing its use.

Your example is in the passive voice, where it's obviously incorrect. OP is describing it used as the subject in the active voice, i.e.

"Myself and Judy are in the office today"
(rather than "Judy and I").

It's not technically correct but I don't have a problem with it.

Cordohroys · 16/02/2024 05:29

You’re right - remove their degree awards, sack them and if all else fails cut their tongues out. It’s time this shit ended. Let’s have a revolution!

iceskater1 · 16/02/2024 05:26

Garlickit · 16/02/2024 05:19

While we're at it, can we also kill "Fred and I" when it should be "and me"? Sometimes we even get "Fred and I's thing", which is piling insanity upon abomination!

This depends where it is in the sentence.

"Fred and I went to the shops" is grammatically correct.
"Fred and me went to the shops" is not.

"Jen went to the shops with Fred and me/ myself" is grammatically correct.
"Jen went to the shops with Fred and I" is not.

Take Fred out of the equation and you can easily see why:

"I went to the shops" vs "me went to the shops"
"Jen went to the shops with me"/ "Jen went to the shops with I"

TheShellBeach · 16/02/2024 05:26

"Thank you for sending me those documents"

"Thank you for sending myself those documents"

Seriously, it's obvious which one is correct.

iceskater1 · 16/02/2024 05:23

It is a funny one with "Myself" as the subject of the sentence. I suppose it's not really grammatically correct, but it doesn't bother me all that much. It just sounds a bit more formal I suppose?

Language changes all the time, it's fluid like water, not solid. If enough people use a word in a certain way for long enough then it becomes correct. The rules are in constant flux and they are not always regular.

I think it's OK.

Garlickit · 16/02/2024 05:19

While we're at it, can we also kill "Fred and I" when it should be "and me"? Sometimes we even get "Fred and I's thing", which is piling insanity upon abomination!

BeadedBubbles · 16/02/2024 05:18

I agree it's awful - and everywhere!

Sparklfairy · 16/02/2024 05:15

It's infiltrated so much. For some reason it can sound more formal/sophisticated because people use it incorrectly in professional settings and every time I'm tempted to use it I end up googling whether it's appropriate, even though I know the grammar rule. 90%+ of the time I was tempted to use it incorrectly, I blame SM.

I like the rule of thumb about 'removing the third person from the sentence':

DH and myself went to the cinema = Myself went to the cinema makes no sense
DH and I went to the cinema = I went to the cinema

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 16/02/2024 05:13

Reminds me of this -

TheShellBeach · 16/02/2024 05:12

Ridiculous24 · 16/02/2024 05:09

Same here, but this is everywhere now, it's like it's spreading and people have forgotten what they used to say.

They also say things like "is that acceptable to yourself"?

Someone from BT said that to me last week, so I gave her a lesson in grammar.