By Jenny McBride


Many writers are so afraid of improperly using me in a sentence that they overcorrect or avoid using it at all. Writers often misuse I or myself instead because they are nervous about using me. For example, each of the following sentences uses either I or myself where me is actually appropriate:

• The contract had to be signed by both Dr. Willerton and I.
• Let's keep this little secret between you and I.

The correct way to write these sentences is:

• The contract had to be signed by both Dr. Willerton and me.
• Let's keep this little secret between you and me.
  

Traditional grammar rules say that "the first person singular pronoun is I when it is a subject and me when it is an object," but few of us understand what that means. In the two examples above, the noun/pronoun compound is functioning as an object, so the correct pronoun choice would be me instead of I (Kolln 258). Kolln says that this common error may possibly be "because people remember being corrected by their parents or teachers when they said such sentences as

Me and Bill are going for a bike ride. ('No, dear. Bill and I.')
Bill and me are going to be late. ('No, dear. Bill and I.')"

She believes this may be why some people find it difficult to use me, regardless of the function the pronoun has in the sentence. Dr. Grammar says to "use myself only when you have used I earlier in the same sentence." For example, it would be correct to say or write:

• I do not particularly care for seafood myself.

Because I has not been used earlier in the following sentences, it would be incorrect to say or write:

• It is very frustrating not only to myself, but also my classmates.
• "Please visit Aardvark and myself" (Fogarty 207).

The Chicago Manual of Style says to use me when you need the first person. "It's not immodest to use it; it's superstitious not to" (Chicago 5.202). It also suggests using it reflexively:

• "I did myself a favor."

Or emphatically:

• "I myself have tried to get through that tome!"

Oneself is a compound indefinite pronoun. Indefinite pronouns generally or indefinitely represent an object. Usually, it is an object that has already been identified or doesn't even need specific identification. In this case, oneself means one's self and is singular (Chicago 5.64). Merriam-Webster says that it can be used reflexively as an object of a preposition or verb, or for emphasis. This means that oneself is preceded by the noun or pronoun that it refers to in a sentence. For example:

• One can always imagine oneself somewhere else.
• One seldom sees oneself as one truly is.

This may be one of the trickiest pronouns to use. Oneself can imply a relationship between subject and object, as in "one sees oneself" or, in the examples above, oneself could refer to anyone.


Works Cited

The Chicago Manual of Style: The Essential Guide for Writers, Editors, and Publishers. 15th ed. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 2003.
Choy, Penelope, and Dorthy Goldbart Clark. Basic Grammar and Usage. Boston: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2006.
Dr. Grammar: Your Rx for Writing Ills. 2001. Dept. of English., University of Northern Iowa. 5 Nov. 2008. <http://www.
drgrammar.org/faqs/#34>
Fogarty, Mignon. Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. New York: Holt, 2008.
Kolln, Martha. Rhetorical Grammar: Grammatical Choices, Rhetorical Effects. 5th ed. New York: Pearson, 2007.
"oneself." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 5 Nov. 2008. <http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/oneself>