I / Me / Myself

All of us have "pet peeves," and one that really bugs the Militant Pacifist is the misuse of the reflexive pronoun "myself."

Probably the reason it bugs me so much is that by and large when I hear someone use "myself" in a non-reflexive way, they are using it ("myself") because they think it is correct. Probably they had a writing instructor at some time warn them against overusing the personal pronoun "me," and probably they think that "myself" sounds intelligent.

Here's a hint. It doesn't sound intelligent. If you want to use the word (and it is a good word) you should learn how to use it so you won't sound unintelligent.

You can read a brief explanation of the proper use of "myself" by the author of Common Errors in English Usage by clicking the link in the posting title above. If you are interested in the book, you can buy it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Common-Errors-English-Usage-Brians/dp/1887902899/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201052561&sr=8-1