‘James and myself will arrange this for you’
‘I have carried this out for yourselves’
Do these sound pretty natural to you, or are you one of those people tearing their hair out every time they see errors like these in everyday office emails?
Since the use of the words ‘myself’ and ‘yourselves’ is grammatically incorrect in these examples, why has their misuse become so common in modern business language?
Many reasons have been suggested for this grammatical mishap. Firstly, there is a nervousness that surrounds the use of the word ‘me’. Heaven forbid you would use the word ‘me’ when it should have been ‘I’, so why not play it safe and stick with the inoffensive, ‘myself’? Alternatively, this word might be used in business when someone wants to appear more commanding and intelligent – using words with more syllables equals a higher IQ don’t you know? They’re also often used as a more indirect and polite way of speaking, ‘myself’ expresses humility whilst ‘yourself’ shows respect.
Although incorrect, there's no ambiguity in the above sentences, as everything is clearly understood. However, this seemingly innocent mistake could be reflecting badly not only on you, but on the company you're representing. Choosing the right words is important and is likely to be seen as a sign of competence and intelligence rather than being impolite. However, if saying this word feels natural to us, should the grammar pedants relax and let our language evolve naturally – even if grammatically incorrect?
There is of course, another misuse of these words, which the majority are prepared to let slide. This is when the word is used emphatically: ‘I, myself, agree with this article.’
