On behalf on myself

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On Behalf of Myself

Me vs. Myself: The Explanation of Reflexive Pronouns

It’s one of my favorite lines. You know the setting: the team’s just won the Super Bowl (the Stanley Cup, the World Series, the final game of March Madness), and as several tons of confetti rain down, the coach, “On behalf of myself and the team,” thanks the greatest fans in the world. On behalf of “myself”? Who cares! These highly successful people earn their living relying on talents other than their ability to put words together.

But, fair or not, when readers see a grammatical error in a lawyer’s sentence, they begin to doubt even the content of his other sentences. Fortunately, the opposite is also true: when we successfully navigate through difficult grammar rules, readers notice and put more faith in what we have to say.

At WordRake we hire lawyers to handle many aspects of what we do, from filing patents to steering us through the securities maze. If one of our counsel wrote the following sentence, we would have to let him go:

My letter to Mr. Gallagher was written after our meeting, during which myself and the General Manager explained why the IPO should be postponed a month.

In court, in negotiations, at the patent office, that lawyer becomes WordRake. If what he writes is grammatically incorrect, WordRake looks bad. We can’t afford that; no client can; so we have to know that our lawyers will get it right. The lawyer who wrote the sentence below gets it right, and that gives me faith he can successfully represent WordRake:

I have enclosed information on our relevant areas of practice and profiles on Paul and myself.

So you can impress new friends met at wine tastings, remember: “Myself” is a “reflexive” pronoun. We need reflexive pronouns because we have to distinguish between, “Alphonse assigned him to the position” from “Alphonse assigned himself to the position.” Big difference.

The Rule: “me” is objective; “myself” is also objective; neither may be used as a subject, which is the problem with the first example above; but use “myself” instead of “me” only where “I” is nearby and acting on “myself,” as in the second example.

We all make mistakes, but in a law practice, grammatical mistakes must be rare, and we must make them honestly, not because we don’t know better or do not care enough to get it right.

on behalf of Mary and myself/I/me

Chriss_

Member

My question is easy.

would it be «on behalf of me«, «on behalf of myself» or «on behalf of I«?

Thank in advance.

Chasint

Senior Member

i heart queso

Senior Member

Chriss_

Member

Chasint

Senior Member

Chriss_

Member

ok, I think I understood it.

Thank you so much.

Chasint

Senior Member

Mary likes me. (non-reflexive)
I like myself. (reflexive)

I speak on behalf of Mary and myself.

Mary speaks on behalf of me and herself.

Let’s see if others agree. (I am beginning to doubt my answer )

Forero

Senior Member

To me, «on behalf of myself» sounds as silly as «I carry my umbrella with myself.» People sometimes talk this way, and it may be seen either as a «humble» reference to oneself or as quite the opposite, an indication of an inflated ego. Also, some people even use «myself» in some contexts as a «poor man’s disjunctive», to avoid having to decide between «me» and «I». I would avoid it.

«On my own behalf, I would like to thank. » is not impossible, but it would need supporting context beyond the sentence in question.

«On behalf of I» sounds very strange. I don’t think any native speaker would say that, except as an example of what we don’t say.

«On behalf of me» does sound odd by itself, but «On behalf of Mary and me» is fine.

«On my behalf» sounds good, but «on Mary’s behalf and mine» sounds awkward to me in the context given, as do «on my behalf and Mary’s» and «on Mary’s and my behalf».

If you are talking «on behalf of» you and someone else, what is the correct usage?

If you are talking on behalf of you and someone else what is the correct usage?

On behalf of my wife and me

On behalf of my wife and I

On behalf of me and my wife

On behalf of myself and my wife

On behalf of my wife and myself

My understanding is that after that phrase you would carry on talking in first person.

5 Answers 5

I looked at a bunch of style guides to see what they have to say on this subject. The vast majority of them dedicate at least a paragraph to the distinction (or nondistinction) between «in behalf of» and «on behalf of»—but not one addresses the question of how to handle «on behalf of» when used by a speaker to refer to another person and to him- or herself.

This silence leads me to believe that style guides generally agree that the same rules that apply to reflexive constructions by a speaker with other introductory phrases would also apply here. Let’s look separately at three issues that the poster’s somewhat syntactically complex sentence raises, to see how those rules (or preferences or propensities) play out.

Which indirect object comes first, the wife or the reflexive pronoun?

One idiomatic form that has long prevailed in English is put the reference to the other person before the speaker’s self-reference—at least at a certain level of social gentility. Consider this Ngram chart of the phrase «of my wife and myself» (blue line) versus «of myself and my wife» (red line) for the period 1750–2005:

Neither expression registers on the chart until roughly the turn of the nineteenth century; but after about 1860 «of my wife and myself» becomes far more common in Google Books search results than «for myself and my wife,» and it has remained more common (albeit by a shrinking margin) through 2005.

Now consider the corresponding Ngram chart for «of my wife and me» (blue line) versus «of me and my wife» (red line) for the same period:

The big advantage for the blue line in the first chart becomes far less evident in this chart, although between 1970 and 2005, «of my wife and me» manages to maintain at least a small advantage.

And finally, here is the Ngram chart for «of my wife and I» (blue line) versus «of I and my wife» (no line because of insufficient matches to plot):

In written English, «of my wife and I» constitutes a false genteelism when used as a compound object. An editor would normally recast it as either «of my wife and me» (in nonreflexive situations) or «of my wife and myself» (in reflexive ones). Nevertheless it does appear in books by respectable authors, such as in this afterword by Wadie Said in Edward Said, From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map: Essays (Random House, 2007):

It was perhaps this sentiment that held me back from writing about the experience of my wife and I being denied entry to the West Bank by Israeli border control officers in June 2003.

The net effect of the three charts presented in this part of my answer is to support the notion that, in «of» clauses in English, «my wife» generally precedes «myself» or «I» and more often than not precedes «me. It also provides a fairly strong argument for dismissing «on behalf of I and my wife» from further consideration—as indeed the OP seems to have done at the outset.

Which reflexive pronouns are used with ‘on behalf of’?

Having identified a fairly strong preference for «of my wife and I/me/myself» over «of I/me/myself and my wife,» let’s drop «my wife» out of the equation and focus on which reflexive pronouns are most commonly used in the expression «on behalf of I/me/myself.» Here is the Ngram chart for «on behalf of myself» (blue line) versus «on behalf of me» (red line) versus «on behalf of I» (green line) for the period 1750–2005:

It appears that «on behalf of myself» is far more common than «on behalf of me» in Google Books search results—and that is before we remove instances where the person speaking «on behalf of me» is a third party. In fact, the Google Books searches I ran turned up just three examples of «on behalf of me» used reflexively. From a translation of a thirteenth-century charter, quoted in James Thompson, An Essay on English Municipal History (1867):

Simon de Montfort, son of earl Simon de Montfort, lord of Leicester, to all who may see and hear the present page, health in the Lord! Know all of you that I, for the good of my soul, and the souls of my ancestors and successors, have granted, and by this my present charter have confirmed, on behalf of me and my heirs for ever, to my burgesses of Leicester and their heirs, that no Jew or Jewess in my time, or in the time of any of my heirs to the end of the world, shall inhabit or remain, or obtain a residence, in Leicester.

On behalf of me and on behalf of Telugu Desam Party, I convey my heart felt condolences to the members of the bereaved family and pray God to give them necessary strength to withstand this serious loss.

And from Eric Walters, Home Team (2010), writing in the guise of a sixth-grade student:

I am writing on behalf of me and my school. We are all big basketball fans. We are particularly big Raptors fans and even bigger fans of Wayne Dawkins. I think he is a superstar.

As a reflexive form, «on behalf of myself» seems to be far more common than «on behalf of me.»

A fourth alternative: ‘on my own behalf’

There is however a further complication, which vpn mentions in a comment beneath Robusto’s answer: Given the choice, many people would say «on my own behalf» (or perhaps simply «on my behalf») to express reflexive advocacy. Adding «on my own behalf» (yellow line) to the preceding Ngram chart, we can see how popular this alternative is:

Unmistakably, «on my own behalf» is a much more popular construction in the Google Books database than «on behalf of myself,» «on behalf of me,» or «on behalf of I.» Unfortunately, with a compound referent, «on my behalf» becomes exceedingly awkward. If «my wife» reenters the picture, we face an unappealing choice between «on my wife’s and my behalf» and «on my and my wife’s behalf»—neither of which draws any matches in a Google Books search—and may perhaps also get a sneaking suspicion that «behalves» might sound better than «behalf» unless the interests of the speaker and his wife are not absolutely identical.

To my mind, the return of «my wife» to the mix torpedoes the «on my behalf» option, simply because «on my and my wife’s [or my wife’s and my] behalf» isn’t something that most people speaking or writing in English would be willing to say or commit to paper.

Conclusion

In situations involving a speaker referring to his own advocacy for himself and for his wife, the most widely used of the many options considered in this answer appears to be «on behalf of my wife and myself.» It isn’t an ideal wording, however—and it would probably be worth writing around, which the writer or speaker could do by introducing himself and his wife as a unitary party of interest in the immediately prior sentence and then using the simple phrase «on our behalf» in the example sentence:

My wife and I have been planning the heist for months. On our behalf, I persuaded the witless bank manager to supply us with a detailed floor plan of the vault room so that we could make efficient plans to «refinish the floor.»

But failing that, I would go with «On behalf of my wife and myself, I persuaded. «

Postscript: A usage commentator’s take on ‘on behalf of myself’

I said earlier that none of the style guides I consulted have anything to say about using «on behalf of» in conjunction with both a third person and a reflexive reference to the speaker or writer. One guide does, however, address the question of reflexive use of «on behalf of.» From Barbara Wallraff, Word Court (2000) [combined snippets]:

«On behalf of myself» can’t be corrected in the same way, for «on behalf of me» actually sounds worse. If the pilot had said «on my own behalf,» he, or she, might have noticed that the whole phrase was a bit foolish and it would be better left off: people thanking others are presumed to be doing it on their own behalf, and it’s only when they’re doing the thinking on behalf of, say, their employers that any such thing needs to be specified.

on behalf

1 behalf

on (амер. in ) behalf of в интере́сах кого́-л.; от и́мени кого́-л.

on my (his, her) behalf в мои́х (его́, её) интере́сах; от моего́ (его́, её) и́мени

on behalf of my friends от и́мени мои́х друзе́й

2 behalf

3 behalf

4 behalf

5 behalf

of в интересах (кого-л.) ;
от имени (кого-л.)

of в интересах (кого-л.) ;
от имени (кого-л.) on

в моих (его, ее) интересах;
от моего( его, ее) имени;
on behalf of my friends от имени моих друзей

в моих (его, ее) интересах;
от моего (его, ее) имени;
on behalf of my friends от имени моих друзей

6 behalf

7 behalf

in behalf of — для, ради, в пользу, в интересах кого-л. ;

in this behalf — 1. в этом отношении 2. по этому вопросу;

8 behalf

9 behalf

10 behalf

11 behalf

12 behalf

13 behalf

14 behalf

15 behalf

16 behalf

17 behalf

18 behalf

19 behalf

20 on behalf of

См. также в других словарях:

behalf — is now used in BrE only in the phrase on behalf of (AmE in behalf of), which means (1) ‘in the interests of’, and (2) ‘as a representative of’ • (He used to make payments and pick up money on behalf of Mafia mobsters Times, 1982). It should not… … Modern English usage

behalf — [bē haf′, bēhäf′; bihaf′, bihäf′] n. [ME, in phrase on (mi) behalfe, on (my) side < OE be, BY + healf, HALF, side] support, interest, side, etc. [I speak in his behalf] in behalf of or on behalf of in the interest of; for on behalf of speaking … English World dictionary

behalf — ► NOUN (in phrase on (US also in) behalf of or on someone s behalf) 1) in the interests of a person, group, or principle. 2) as a representative of. ORIGIN from a mixture of the earlier phrases on his halve and bihalve him, both meaning «on his… … English terms dictionary

behalf of — behalf of, or ● behalf … Useful english dictionary

behalf — noun account, advantage, advocacy, aid, aidance, assistance, auspices, avail, behoof, benefaction, benefit, benevolence, betterment, boon, contribution, countenance, defense, endowment, expedience, favor, furtherance, gift, good, help,… … Law dictionary

behalf — c.1300, behalve (with dative suffix), from O.E. (him) be healfe by (his) side, and on (his) healfe on (his) side, from healfe side (see HALF (Cf. half)) … Etymology dictionary

behalf — [n] personal interest account, advantage, aid, assistance, benefit, cause, concern, countenance, defense, encouragement, favor, furtherance, good, help, part, place, profit, recommendation, representation, sake, service, side, stead, support,… … New thesaurus

behalf — 01. I would like to thank you on [behalf] of myself and my colleagues. 02. Dong Mi presented a gift to the secretary on [behalf] of the office staff. 03. I can t go to the farewell dinner tomorrow, so could you say good bye to Wynona on my… … Grammatical examples in English

behalf — /bəˈhaf / (say buh hahf), /bi / (say bee ) phrase 1. on someone s behalf, Also, US, in someone s behalf. in someone s interest; in aid of someone: to increase one s efforts on someone s behalf. 2. on behalf of, Also, US, in behalf of. a. as a… … Australian-English dictionary

on behalf of

on my (his, her) behalf — в моих (его, её) интересах; от моего (его, её) имени

on behalf of my friends — от имени моих друзей

for and on behalf of — за и от имени (подпись на документах)

Смотреть что такое «on behalf of» в других словарях:

behalf — is now used in BrE only in the phrase on behalf of (AmE in behalf of), which means (1) ‘in the interests of’, and (2) ‘as a representative of’ • (He used to make payments and pick up money on behalf of Mafia mobsters Times, 1982). It should not… … Modern English usage

behalf — [bē haf′, bēhäf′; bihaf′, bihäf′] n. [ME, in phrase on (mi) behalfe, on (my) side < OE be, BY + healf, HALF, side] support, interest, side, etc. [I speak in his behalf] in behalf of or on behalf of in the interest of; for on behalf of speaking … English World dictionary

behalf — ► NOUN (in phrase on (US also in) behalf of or on someone s behalf) 1) in the interests of a person, group, or principle. 2) as a representative of. ORIGIN from a mixture of the earlier phrases on his halve and bihalve him, both meaning «on his… … English terms dictionary

behalf of — behalf of, or ● behalf … Useful english dictionary

behalf — noun account, advantage, advocacy, aid, aidance, assistance, auspices, avail, behoof, benefaction, benefit, benevolence, betterment, boon, contribution, countenance, defense, endowment, expedience, favor, furtherance, gift, good, help,… … Law dictionary

behalf — c.1300, behalve (with dative suffix), from O.E. (him) be healfe by (his) side, and on (his) healfe on (his) side, from healfe side (see HALF (Cf. half)) … Etymology dictionary

behalf — [n] personal interest account, advantage, aid, assistance, benefit, cause, concern, countenance, defense, encouragement, favor, furtherance, good, help, part, place, profit, recommendation, representation, sake, service, side, stead, support,… … New thesaurus

behalf — 01. I would like to thank you on [behalf] of myself and my colleagues. 02. Dong Mi presented a gift to the secretary on [behalf] of the office staff. 03. I can t go to the farewell dinner tomorrow, so could you say good bye to Wynona on my… … Grammatical examples in English

behalf — /bəˈhaf / (say buh hahf), /bi / (say bee ) phrase 1. on someone s behalf, Also, US, in someone s behalf. in someone s interest; in aid of someone: to increase one s efforts on someone s behalf. 2. on behalf of, Also, US, in behalf of. a. as a… … Australian-English dictionary