Use "myself" more

If you're a typical American, you sometimes say "myself" when you should say "me" or "I."

"Me, Myself and I," an opinion essay by Collin Levy in The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 14, 2008), hones in on how presidential candidates are over-using "myself." Misuse can change the meaning of a sentence.

The right way to use "myself"? "...the classically-approved usage of 'myself' is as an intensive ('I myself feel that way') or reflexive ('I hurt myself')."

Proper usage will enhance your credibility with members of your audience who care about grammar.

Bad vs. badly, according to Grammar Girl

When should you say "I feel badly" instead of "I feel bad"?

Learn the answer at the Grammar Girl blog.

Too busy to read her post? You can listen to her podcast.


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"Can not" vs. "cannot"

Which is right? "Can not" or "cannot"?

Habit tells me "cannot," but I can't find this peculiar spelling in the index of any of my style guides.

However, Wikipedia gives me this quote, in which I've added the bolding to "cannot":
In this regard, the following quotation from The Chicago Manual of Style deserves notice:

Rules and regulations such as these, in the nature of the case, cannot be endowed with the fixity of rock-ribbed law. They are meant for the average case, and must be applied with a certain degree of elasticity.

I haven't thought about this issue in years. I usually work around it by using "can't."

What's your practice?

"Move Over, Strunk & White: There's a New Kid in Town"

Chip Scanlan's latest article in his "Chip on Your Shoulder" e-newsletter talks about a new book on writing, Spunk & Bite: A Writer's Guide to Punchier, More Engaging Language & Style by Arthur Plotnik.

Here's a good quote from his Q&A with Plotnik:
"Have faith in the power of language to compete with anything. Does language still matter in this supposedly dumbed-down world? You bet it does -- and will, until people stop using words to symbolize everything that stimulates them. Nothing has ever stirred juices and roused souls more than well-chosen words. Almost always you will soar above the crowd or be lost in it depending on how you use language."

Here's an excerpt from Plotnik's book.