Grammar rant: There is nothing wrong with 'me'
Just returned from my health club, where I do penance on a treadmill for my love of chocolate and chicken with the skin on.
The manager posted a sign advising women that the locker rooms will be undergoing renovation for two months, "and if you have any questions, please contact myself."
Why do so many writers use "myself" instead of the first-case objective pronoun "me"?
Myself, a reflexive pronoun, refers back to the subject of the sentence. Correct usage is, for example, "I painted my nails myself."
Some writers think, "If I use 'I' as the subject, I should then use 'myself' if I am also the object . You would not write, "I would like you to call myself before midnight." This doesn't sound right to the ear, and people instinctively avoid it.
Without the "I" to guide them, they will write, "Neither Susan nor myself would ever wear a thong."
The reflexive pronouns may also fill an emphatic role: "I wouldn't eat her cooking myself, but you go ahead!"
I'm ranting not because you don't know this; I'm recruiting all writers, all people who love language.
I corrected that that notice, and I'd like some company. Please go forth and tell your colleagues that, when used as the object of a sentence, there's nothing wrong with 'me'.
The manager posted a sign advising women that the locker rooms will be undergoing renovation for two months, "and if you have any questions, please contact myself."
Why do so many writers use "myself" instead of the first-case objective pronoun "me"?
Myself, a reflexive pronoun, refers back to the subject of the sentence. Correct usage is, for example, "I painted my nails myself."
Some writers think, "If I use 'I' as the subject, I should then use 'myself' if I am also the object . You would not write, "I would like you to call myself before midnight." This doesn't sound right to the ear, and people instinctively avoid it.
Without the "I" to guide them, they will write, "Neither Susan nor myself would ever wear a thong."
The reflexive pronouns may also fill an emphatic role: "I wouldn't eat her cooking myself, but you go ahead!"
I'm ranting not because you don't know this; I'm recruiting all writers, all people who love language.
I corrected that that notice, and I'd like some company. Please go forth and tell your colleagues that, when used as the object of a sentence, there's nothing wrong with 'me'.
Comments
Quite honestly, I don't usually get too fussed about grammar issues, but the one you're citing does bother me not only because it sounds so clunky, but also because it mixes ignorance with a sort of pretentiousness. I actually prefer the kind of "me and him did it" error which doesn't pretend to any grammatic elegance, you know?
ma: Yes- pretentious!
I'm not a flawless writer. I've been edited by one of the greats and was awed. But more often my clients will correct my writing- to incorrect usage. I then have to ask them quietly (through gritted teeth) if this incorrect grammar is what they want.
I had huge frustration when I moved from Canada to the US..a whole new set of spellings, pronounciatons, and grammar that have left me dizzy. And that has me counting the errors in the sentence I just wrote.
So take a red pen, PLEASE, and fix anything I write. I need a refresher!
Christine :)
I think this gym employee is trying to impress upon you that he or she is not only buff but also ruhlly, rully in'ellectial.
One of my favourite bits.