Reminds me of myself

«He reminds me of me» vs «He reminds me of myself»

Can these two sentences be used interchangeably?

He reminds me of me.

He reminds me of myself.

I think the second one is wrong. Am I right?

5 Answers 5

Can these two sentences be used interchangeably?

Answer: I think not.

Between the two sentences, the second is more appropriate for formal writing. It is also the one that is widely used. See Ngram. The first sentence might sound a bit strange to some people, but it is often used in informal speech.

The first, «he reminds me of me», is more likely to be used in poetry or literary work. It could be used for emphasis, or it could just be a matter of style, habit, or era. This similar post in ELU, When to use “me” or “myself”?, has some interesting details. Also take a look at this usage note (when myself is used in place of I/me) in Dictionary.com.

If it is indeed used for emphasis, or if it is used stylistically, then the author has a specific reason to use it (i.e., the first version «he reminds me of me»). The use of «me» instead of «myself» serves a definite purpose. And therefore, in such circumstances, the two sentences are not interchangeable. The author prefers the first version; he is not indifferent between the two.

But an inexperienced user of English language (a new learner) may erroneously use them interchangeably (without having any specific reason for their choice).

This is strange: if you just search google news for «reminds me of me», you will find many celebrities (actors, musicians, and athletes) use this version in their interviews. I suppose the reason for this is that (1) «reminds me of ME!» is more emphatic than the version with a dull «myself» or (2) they do so unknowingly (they don’t know myself is more appropriate for a simple conversation).

I think the second one is wrong. Am I right?

Answer: You are not. The second sentence, «He reminds me of myself», is accurate.

Here are some definitions from Wikipedia:

Cambridge discusses reflexive pronouns here. It says «we often use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object of the verb refer to the same person or thing.»

Collins says «Myself is used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject refers to the same person.»

«Myself» is also used as an emphatic/intensive pronoun (e.g., I did the entire assignment myself, I swear.)

In your second sentence, «me» is the direct object pronoun of the verb «reminds» and «myself» is the object of the preposition «of».

This raises the question then, «What is the relationship between «me» and «myself» in the second sentence?»

The answer to this is in Alex_ander’s answer, «Use ‘myself’ after a preposition. when the object of the preposition and the object pronoun are the same person.» This quoted material is here: English Grammar: I, Me, Myself, and My. Please note that I can’t verify the legitimacy of «Melanie»; I searched all her social media sites but I can’t find a last name to look up her background (work experience, education, etc.)

What I understand is, «me» is the direct object here, and «myself» is the indirect object.

The second sentence is correct. Google Ngram below shows the usage between the two; it seems that the uses of «me of me» and «reminds me of me» are quite a bit lower than their counterparts with «myself».