When To Properly Use ‘Me,’ ‘Myself,’ And ‘I’

When To Properly Use ‘Me,’ ‘Myself,’ And ‘I’


Love it or hate it, grammar is an important part of communication. This TED-Ed video explains how to properly refer to yourself, and when.

The video from Emma Bryce at the TED-Ed YouTube Channel lays out the grammatical ground rules for these occasionally misused pronouns. People will probably get your drift if you interchange them, but you might get some odd looks (or they might think you’re not very smart). Each of these three pronouns has a specific role:

  • Me: Is an object pronoun, meaning it refers to the object being acted upon in the sentence. Example: “She invited me” or “You can come with me.”

  • I: Is a subject pronoun, meaning it refers to the object of the sentence and is the actor acting on the object in the sentence. Example: “I invited her” or “I will come with you.”

  • Myself: This is the trickiest one because it’s a reflexive pronoun. You can only use “myself” when it’s the object of a sentence with the subject being “I.” Example: “I consider myself an expert” or “I thought to myself about the other day.”

Something similar to “I like me” is incorrect, even if it’s true. You may not always have grammar police patrolling your area, but it’s to your benefit to know what’s right.

When to use “me”, “myself” and “I” – Emma Bryce [YouTube]


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