Practice
Myself: use reflexive and emphatic pronouns accurately
Sign in to saveAn email can sound less formal when it uses more formal-looking words in the wrong place. In Please send the form to myself, myself has nothing to refer back to. The clear choice is me.
Use myself when it refers back to I or adds emphasis, and use me for an ordinary object in formal English.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
myself /maɪˈself/
The short answer
Use myself when it refers back to I in the same clause, as in I introduced myself to the group, or when it adds emphasis, as in I myself checked the details. Use me after a verb or preposition when another person acts on you: Please send the details to me.
I gave myself enough time to prepare.
Why it works: I am the person who gave the time and the person who received it, so myself refers back to the subject.
5 more examples
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I introduced myself to the new team.
The speaker does the introducing and is the person introduced, so the reflexive pronoun refers back to I.
Not this:The director introduced
meto the new team. What changes: The director performs the action, so use the ordinary object pronoun me. -
I reminded myself to save the document.
I and myself name the same person within the clause.
Not this:My colleague reminded
meto save the document. What changes: My colleague and I are different people, so the object is me. -
Please return the signed form to me.
The pronoun follows to and names the person who will receive the form.
Not this:I returned the signed form
to myselffor my records. What changes: Here I sent and received the form, so myself correctly points back to I. -
I myself checked the dates before the meeting.
Myself is emphatic here. It stresses that the speaker, personally, did the checking.
Not this:
I checkedthe dates before the meeting. What changes: This sentence is complete without extra emphasis. -
I completed the application by myself.
By myself means alone or without help in this sentence.
Not this:I completed the application
with helpfrom a colleague. What changes: With help gives the opposite idea: another person helped with the task.
Read the full guide
Start by finding the subject of the clause. Ask whether the object is the same person. If I does the action and the action returns to I, use myself. If another person does something to you, or the pronoun follows a preposition such as to or for, use me. This check is useful in formal messages, where unsupported myself can distract from a clear request.
Link myself to the subject
A reflexive pronoun needs a subject to point back to. With myself, that subject is I. Check that I does the action and that the action comes back to the same person.
I taught myself how to use the booking system.
The trainer taught me how to use the booking system. The trainer and I are different people, so me is the object.
Who receives the action in I taught myself how to use the booking system?
The speaker receives the action. I and myself refer to the same person.
Use me for an ordinary object
Use me when another person performs an action on you. The same choice usually follows a preposition, including to, for, with, and from. These positions do not need myself unless I is clearly the subject of the same clause.
The coordinator sent me the updated schedule.
I sent myself the updated schedule as a reminder. In the second sentence, the speaker is both sender and receiver.
Choose the pronoun: Could you send the confirmation to ___?
Use me. Another person will send the confirmation to you.
Use myself for emphasis
Myself can emphasise the person who did an action. This use is optional. It changes the focus, not the basic grammar of the sentence.
I myself spoke to the client before the call.
I spoke to the client before the call is a complete statement. I myself spoke to the client gives extra emphasis to the speaker.
What does myself add in I myself checked the figures?
It stresses that the speaker personally checked the figures.
Understand by myself
By myself usually means alone or without help. The phrase may describe an action, a task, or a period of time. The word by changes the meaning.
I traveled to the conference by myself.
I traveled to the conference with a colleague describes company. By myself says that the speaker traveled alone.
Which phrase most clearly means alone: myself or by myself?
By myself most clearly means alone or without help.
Edit unsupported myself in formal English
Some writers use myself in an ordinary object position because it looks formal. In standard formal English, that use is not needed. Find the subject of the clause. If there is no I for myself to refer back to, choose me.
For questions about the invoice, please contact me.
For questions about the invoice, please contact myself is non-standard because myself does not refer back to I in that clause.
Which form is standard in a formal request: contact me or contact myself?
Use contact me. The person receiving the contact is an ordinary object.
Check a phrase with another person
A phrase with another person still needs an ordinary object pronoun when it receives an action. Test the phrase without the other person. The manager asked Sam and me becomes The manager asked me. Myself does not replace me in this pattern.
The manager asked Priya and me to stay after the meeting.
Priya and I stayed after the meeting. The pair does the action in this sentence, so it is the subject.
Remove Priya: does The manager asked me still sound complete?
Yes. That check shows that me is the right object pronoun in Priya and me.
Before you go
Remember this
Use myself when it refers back to I or when it adds emphasis. Use me when another person acts on you or when the pronoun follows a preposition. Before using myself in formal English, look for the I that it refers back to and check that both words belong to the same clause.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Myself: use reflexive and emphatic pronouns accurately"
When should I use myself?
Use myself when it refers back to I in the same clause: I introduced myself to the new team. You can also use it for emphasis in I myself checked the dates, where it stresses that you personally did the action.
I introduced myself to the new team.
Why is Please contact myself non-standard?
Myself needs an I in the same clause to refer back to. In a request where another person will contact you, you are an ordinary object. Use Please contact me in formal English.
The director introduced me to the new team.
Can I use myself after a preposition?
Yes, when the pronoun correctly refers back to I. In I returned the form to myself, the speaker sent and received it. In Please return the form to me, another person is sending it to you, so use me.
I reminded myself to save the document.
What does by myself mean?
By myself usually means alone or without help. I completed the application by myself says that the speaker completed it independently. The phrase has a different meaning from a simple reflexive object such as I reminded myself.
My colleague reminded me to save the document.
Do I use myself in a phrase with another person?
Usually, choose the pronoun by the phrase's job. The manager asked Priya and me uses me because the pair receives the action. Priya and I stayed uses I because the pair does the action.
Please return the signed form to me.