The use of "Myself"

[BupcakesandCunting]

Just catching up with The Apprentice. Are they paid each time they say "myself" where "me" would do? It's driving me berserk! "That was myself Lord Sugar" "That was myself and Dave" "That was down to myself"

I say myself when not sure if it is me or I.
but then I'm from forrin...

You'll laugh - I did something similar. I used to send out letters from our illiterate bunch of fools sales team and 'please contact myself' was on the bottom of every single one every time.

Do people really think it sounds better? It sounds dreadful to myself me.

It's not a new thing though.

I used to go to public meetings and one councillor used to start every dreary speech with: 'I feel myself personally...'

And I'd think: 'I expect you have to, mate.'

@ "I expect you have to".

Oh thank goodness for other people hating this.

I shout at the TV every time someone says it. DH thinks I have a problem :o

That's funny. DP and "myself" were ranting about that on last week's programme. They're the same people who say "haitch" for the letter 'h'. Simpletons.

I don't watch The Apprentice, but it's quite common and yes, it pisses me off. IME it is used by officious people on the phone trying to sound authoritative or, sometimes, formal and polite.

It doesn't work. It just makes me think they're twunts.

mousy when confused about me or I just take the other person out of it and repeat the sentence. (In your head, obviously)

So if you were going to say: 'Me and DH got plastered' you'd know that 'Me got plastered' is not only wrong but marks you out as a housewife who cracks open the Pinot Grigio once the kids are at school.

My all time most hated standard phrase would have to be "Please could you return the enclosed form to myself". I had a first boss who used to go mental at the incorrect use of could. If anyone wrote that he'd say "Of course they bloody can, the point is we actually want them to".

I hate this so much!

I think people do it to soften a statement - i.e. 'I wouldn't do that' sounds slightly blunter than 'I wouldn't do that myself'. 'You need to make an appointment with me' does sound blunter but better to my ear than 'Yourself needs to make an appointment with myself' though'!!

It's extremely irritating. As is 'I personally... ANYTHING'. Who else personally, pray tell?!

I think 'I wouldn't do that myself' is fine. It's 'Please send it back to myself' etc that gives me the rage.

Oh my god I think the same thing every week!!!!!

Apprentice candidates and cabin crew are incapable of saying 'you' and 'me' in favour of the infuriating 'yourself' and 'myself'. Grrrr.

"I wouldn't do that myself" is ok grammatically though isn't it? You're using it reflexively to refer back to yourself.

My boss is a solicitor and he does this all the bloody time. Myself this and yourself that. If he dictates letters with myself and yourself blah blah blah I just change it to you and me. Easier to read for the client and doesn't make us look like pompous twits.

Does he red pen it Becky - or does he not notice?

My blood boils up every fecking week on TA when he says 'who was the project manager then' - the PM's sit in the same seat every week so its not a bloody hard guess.

Numpty.

I used to know someone who, when making a business type call, would say for example "I was speaking to your good selves yesterday". AAAARRGGHH. That's all I have to say about that.

"I used to go to public meetings and one councillor used to start every dreary speech with: 'I feel myself personally...'

And I'd think: 'I expect you have to, mate.' "

A big hearty LOL at that one . Wahahahaha!!

The misuse of myself/yourself drives me fucking nuts. Bloody hate it with a passion, too.

No, he doesn't even read them after I have typed them. He must trust me (cackles like an old witch)

That is one of my absolute pet hates.

ME NOT MYSELF YOU TOTAL DICKHEAD.

"I wouldn't do that myself" is ok grammatically though isn't it? You're using it reflexively to refer back to yourself."

That's fine because you couldn't use "me" in place of "myself" in that sentence.

I don't know Bupcakes. You may not be able to within the rules of English grammar, but "I wouldn't do that me" is pretty common in my bit of London!

mintymellons I bet they say sc-own-s instead of sconns too

Bupcakes and YoullLaugh - you're both right. Bupcakes's example is the correct way to use the reflexive pronoun to emphasise your own role/preferences. Colloquial versions of this have developed over time - but most people know that isn't strictly grammatically correct but it isn't important to them. The 'myself' misusers are under the impression they're correct and grammatical. That's what irks me!

Ugh, am so with you on this OP. Last night's Apprentice was especially rife with myselfs all over the place.