Me vs. Myself in English Grammar

The Difference between 'Me' and 'Myself'

'Me' and 'myself' both are objects, and both refer to the same person, but they cannot be used in place of one another.

Me vs. Myself

Main Difference

'Me' and 'myself' are both pronouns. 'Myself' is the reflexive form of the pronoun 'I', and 'me' is the object pronoun of 'I'.

Myself

'Myself' can take two roles in a sentence. It can be:

  • Emphatic Pronoun

We use 'myself' to put emphasis on the doer of the action in a sentence.

I talked to her myself .

  • Reflexive Pronoun

We use 'myself' to indicate that the speaker of the sentence is doing something to him or herself. In this case, we use a reflexive pronoun.

I burned myself while ironing .

I cut myself when I was shaving .

When Can We Use 'Myself'?

'Myself' can only be used in these two circumstances:

  1. When the subject and the object of a verb is the same person.
  2. When you want to emphasize the subject 'I' in a sentence.

In any other situations, use 'me' as the object pronoun.

Can 'Myself' be the Subject?

'Myself' alone can never be the subject of a sentence. It is always used as the object.

Myself went to the mall .

This is wrong. 'Myself' cannot be used as the subject. You can say 'I myself went to the mall'.

Is 'Myself' More Polite?

You cannot use an emphatic pronoun to sound formal or polite. It is grammatically incorrect. 'Myself' can either be an emphatic pronoun or reflexive pronoun. You cannot use it for any other reason. You cannot use it instead of 'me' to sound more formal or more polite.

You are required to submit the proposal to myself .

Incorrect

You are required to submit the proposal to me .

Correct

Please call Sara and myself at your earliest convenience .

Incorrect

Please call Sara and me at your earliest convenience .

Correct

Pay Attention!

Remember that 'myself' is either reflexive (I'm doing something to/for myself) or emphatic (I myself). Otherwise, use 'me'.

When We Must Use 'Myself' instead of 'Me'?

After the prepositions of 'to' and 'by' we can use reflexive pronouns, but after prepositions of place, we use object pronouns.

I live by myself .

Correct

I live by me .

Incorrect

I had the apartment all to myself for a night .

Correct

I had the apartment all to me for a night .

Incorrect

Don't Use 'Me' as an Intensifier

You cannot use 'me' as intensifiers or with reflexive verbs.

I hit myself in the head !

Correct

I hit me in the head !

Incorrect

I talked to him myself .

Correct

I talked to him me .

Incorrect

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