Myself Included

Myself Included Myself Included Myself Included By Maeve Maddox A reader questions my use of the phrase â€Å"myself included† in the following extract from a post on who versus that: Many speakers, myself included, feel that who is usually the first choice when the antecedent is human, but recognize that its use is a stylistic choice and not a matter of rule. Sometimes that may be the better choice. Says the reader: I’m wondering about your use of ‘myself’. I would have assumed it should be ‘me included’. Or have I misunderstood the reflexive pronouns? I’m curious because it’s one of my pet peeves when someone ends an email with ‘if you have any questions, you can refer to myself.’ The reader has not misunderstood the general rules for the reflexive pronouns. 1. A reflexive pronoun is used as a direct object when the object is the same as the subject of the verb: â€Å"I cut myself shaving again.† 2. The reflexive pronoun is used as an indirect object when the indirect object is the same as the subject of the verb: â€Å"She bought herself a new car.† 3. The reflexive pronoun is used as the object of a preposition when the object refers to the subject of the clause: â€Å"My son built our deck by himself.† Note: The phrase â€Å"by + reflexive pronoun† shows that someone did something alone and/or without any help. The same meaning is conveyed when the reflexive pronoun alone is placed at the end of a sentence: â€Å"I baked all the cookies myself.† 4. The reflexive pronoun is used to emphasize the person or thing referred to: â€Å"The binding itself is worth  £50.† Note: This use of the reflexive pronoun is especially common when the person referred to is famous or powerful: â€Å"The Queen herself wrote a note of condolence to her butler.† The most common errors made with reflexive pronouns are the sort the reader refers to, the use of a reflexive pronoun when the context calls for a plain personal pronoun: INCORRECT: If you have any questions, you can refer to myself. CORRECT: If you have any questions, you can refer to me. The error here is using a reflexive pronoun as the object of a preposition that does not refer to the subject of the clause (you). Other common errors include the following: INCORRECT: Jack and myself traveled to Greece this summer. CORRECT: Jack and I traveled to Greece this summer. The error is in using the reflexive pronoun as the subject of a verb. INCORRECT: When you give out the presents, don’t forget Margie and myself. CORRECT: When you give out the presents, don’t forget Margie and me. The error here is using reflexive myself as the object of the verb forget. Although the phrases â€Å"myself included† or â€Å"including myself†seem to defy the rules they have enjoyed a long history of use by reputable writers. The Ngram Viewer indicates that â€Å"including myself† is far more common than â€Å"including me† in printed books. A Web search for â€Å"including me† brings 617,000 results; â€Å"including myself† brings 3,890,000 results. An article by linguist James Harbeck lists fourteen examples of exceptions to the rules. Here are three of them: You seem like a better version of myself. (object of preposition) There are two others here besides myself. (object of preposition) Myself, as director here, will cut the ribbon. (subject of sentence) Sometimes â€Å"including me† is the obvious choice, but in other contexts, a writer may prefer â€Å"including myself.† Compare: Everyone received a lavish gift, including me. Many scientists, including myself, found the film outrageous in its inaccuracies. The best advice about the use of reflexive pronouns is to master the rules, but to remain aware that sometimes â€Å"nonstandard† myself may be more idiomatic than me. â€Å"If you have any questions, you can refer to myself† is unquestionably nonstandard, but in contexts in which a speaker or writer is espousing an opinion shared by others, â€Å"myself included† and â€Å"including myself† are established idioms. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 18 Types of Parenthetical PhrasesCaptain vs. Master

Climate Change vs. Global Warming

Climate Change vs. Global Warming Global warming and climate change are sciences odd couple - you hardly hear one mentioned without the other. But much like the confusion that surrounds climate science, this pair is often misunderstood and misused. Lets take a look at what each of these two terms really means, and how (even though theyre often used as synonyms) theyre in fact two very different events. The incorrect interpretation of climate change: A change (usually an increase) in our planets air temperatures. Climate Change Is Non-specific The true definition of climate change is just as it sounds, a change in long-term weather trends - be that rising temperatures, cooling temperatures, changes in precipitation, or what have you. By itself, the phrase carries no presumptions about how the climate is changing, only that a change is occurring. Whats more, these changes could be the result of natural external forces (like an increase or decrease in solar sunspot or Milankovitch Cycles); natural internal processes (like volcanic eruptions or changes in ocean circulations); or human-caused or anthropogenic effects (like the burning of fossil fuels). Again, the phrase climate change doesnt specify the reason for the change. The incorrect interpretation of global warming: Warming due to a human-induced increase in greenhouse gas emissions (like carbon dioxiode). Global Warming Is One Type of Climate Change Global warming describes an increase in Earths average temperature over time. It doesnt mean that temperatures will rise by the same amount everywhere. Neither does it mean that everywhere in the world will get warmer (some locations may not). It simply means that when you consider the Earth as a whole, its average temperature is increasing. This increase could be due to natural or unnatural forces such as an increase in greenhouse gases, particularly from the burning of fossil fuels. Accelerated warming can be measured in Earths atmosphere and oceans. Evidence for global warming can be seen in retreating ice caps, dry lakes, increased habitat reduction for animals (think of the now-infamous polar bear on a lone iceberg), global temperature rises, shifts in weather, coral bleaching, sea-level rise and more. Why People Mix Them Up If climate change and global warming are two very different things, why do we use them interchangeably? Well, when we talk about climate change were usually referring to global warming because our planet is currently experiencing climate change in the form of rising temperatures. And as we know from monikers like FLOTUS and Kimye, the media loves blending words together. Its easier to use climate change and global warming as synonyms (even if it is scientifically incorrect!) than it is to say both. Perhaps climate change and global warming will get its own portmanteau in the near future? How does clowarming sound? The Correct Verbiage If you want to be scientifically correct when talking climate topics, you should say that Earths climate is changing in the form of global warming. According to scientists, it is highly likely that both are being driven by unnatural, human-caused reasons.