There is no disagreement over the use of
myself and other
-self forms when they are used intensively (
I myself cannot agree) or reflexively (
He introduced himself proudly). Questions are raised, however, when the
-self forms are used instead of the personal pronouns (
I, me, etc.) as subjects, objects, or complements.
Myself occurs only rarely as a single subject in place of I:
Myself was the one who called. The recorded instances of such use are mainly poetic or literary. It is also uncommon as a simple object in place of
me:
Since the letter was addressed to myself, I opened it. As part of a compound subject, object, or complement,
myself and to a lesser extent the other
-self forms are common in informal speech and personal writing, somewhat less common in more formal speech and writing:
The manager and myself completed the arrangements. Many came to welcome my husband and myself back to Washington. Myself and other
-self forms are also used, alone or with other nouns or pronouns, in constructions after
as, than, or
but in all varieties of speech and writing:
The captain has far more experience than myself in such matters. Orders have arrived for everyone but the orderlies and yourself. There is ample precedent, going as far back as Chaucer and running through the whole range of British and American literature and other serious formal writing, for all these uses. Many usage guides, however, state that to use
myself in any construction in which I or
me could be used instead (as
My daughter and myself play the flute instead of
My daughter and I, or
a gift for my husband and myself instead of
for my husband and me) is characteristic only of informal speech and that such use ought not to occur in writing. See also
me.