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"

For anyone who wants to know more if they don't already, here's a good link:

Grammar Girl on Myself and other Reflexive Pronouns

Yes my previous idiot-landed-a-good-job-because-the-MD-was-high-on-tramadol-on-interview-day manager did this a lot in an attempt to be taken seriously in a role she was seriously not very good at.

When I hear it or read it I would happily grate my eyeballs with a microplane.

I wrote a letter at work with 'me' used correctly and the secretary CORRECTED it to 'myself'! Went several shades of purple that day, I can tell you!

It really annoys myself.

It makes myself want to turn off the tv but I do find watching them amusing.

wherearemysocka our secretary once corrected a colleague's spellings because he was foreign. He was, but she was using a US spell checker.

He went mental and after she stopped crying she never did it again.

Oooh I knew you were going to mention The Apprentice when I read the thread title!

It drives me potty. There's no excuse for it. Even I know that and I'm comp. educated and as common as muck.

Drives me fucking nuts.

I wasn't very clear - the phrase 'I wouldn't do that myself' is grammatically fine but the word myself is still unnecessary, since you've used the word 'I'! Same goes for 'I personally..'

I routinely pull DH up for using what I view to be unnecessary words. I think I might be a bit OTT on this

I did think that this thread would be about the Apprentice as soon as I saw it though

Herrena - ha ha. I agree. Why use one word when 10 will make you sound like a prat do?

You're taut-ally right Herrena

In Ireland people fling myself and yourself around quite freely

My mother will open the door, see me standing there and proclaim 'it's yourself!'

Doesn't bother me a whit. In fact, I like it. Ha!

herrena I've talked ranted before about DH's overuse of words because his mother taught him it was more polite to go round the houses than come to the point.

I call it the 'Can I ask a question?' gambit.

Even if he said: 'May I ask a question?' I'd still feel stabby.

See, for some reason I think 'yourself' etc is completely fine in that context, squoosh. Also things like 'then who came through the door but himself ...'

I tend to think of it as a normal part of the Irish-English language. It's just when people use it because they think it sounds more formal/official/clever it really winds me up.

To ring the changes (another MIL phrase) he also says: 'A question for you...' That makes him sound like someone hosting a 1960s quiz show television programme.

That was a good link, eighties, thanks. The using it for emphasis thing was something I knew, but couldn't have explained.

Ooh wonder if I annoy people. I say things such as 'Himself walked into the house' difference is Himself is my nickname for DH.

I like it when Alan Sugar says 'I have laid on for you' he says it at least 3 times per episode usually when talking about the treat for the winning team but sometimes when telling them what equipment they will get for the task.

I really, really hate this. I couldn't care less about misplaced apostrophes, but this gets me stabby.

katienana at least he doesn't say 'I myself have laid on for yourselves'

bronze I think it's ok if people know you're using the word as a noun...

limitedperiodonly - I think if I lived with your DH I'd have to have the phrase 'Get to the fucking point' printed onto a t-shirt and wear it every day that may be because I am horrendously intolerant though

And I'm glad to see it's not just me who gets enraged at stupid small things!! Although i do worry that DS1 (10mo) will talk about my negative influence on his language skills in therapy

Makes me want to sever a limb to distract me from the agony of this terrible phrasing.

'In Ireland people fling myself and yourself around quite freely grin

My mother will open the door, see me standing there and proclaim 'it's yourself!''

For some reason the Irish usage doesn't bother me. It's when people say things such as: 'I will give it to yourself,' that bug me.

Yep, another one campaigning against the cruel abuse of reflexive pronouns (aka CARP - yeh, come and join myself and my gang).

"Between you and I" also makes me twitch with irritation .

Loving the CARP!!

I may make myself a badge that says CARP and has a red line through it I also hate fish, so it works on 2 levels