Me, Myself And I | Writing Style Guide - Western Michigan University

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Office of Marketing and Strategic CommunicationsWestern Michigan UniversityKalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA(269) 387-8400

Me, Myself and I

Which of the following is correct?

1. President Dunn sent letters to Jane and myself.

2. President Dunn sent letters to Jane and me.

3. President Dunn sent letters to Jane and I.

If you answered "me," you were correct. In the examples, President Dunn is the subject of the sentence, and you and Jane are the objects. "I" is a subject, never an object. If you're fuzzy on the whole parts of speech thing, try eliminating Jane from the sentence. Does this sound right to you? "President Dunn sent a letter to I."

However, "President Dunn sent a letter to myself" may sound equally acceptable to "President Dunn sent a letter to me." Depending on what you are accustomed to, "myself" might even sound better, but it's wrong.

While "myself" and "me" are both objects, "myself" is what is called a special object. You should use "myself" and not "me" as the object, only when you are the subject of the sentence. Example: I could not dress myself.

Correct: You are asked to contact the provost or me.

Incorrect: You are asked to contact the provost or myself.

Correct: I will include myself in all committee assignments.