Is there any need for the ending of 'to myself'? How is it different from the alternative? Can you always replace 'I thought to myself' with 'I thought'?
Learn English – difference between ‘I thought to theself’ and ‘I thought.’
idiomsmeaningword-choice
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Best Answer
This is not redundant; it removes some ambiguity. For example,
usually isn't really describing a specific thought - just a belief about what I did and where my keys are. But it could also mean - a definite thought passed through my mind, and that thought was "I left my keys on the table".
If I wanted to express the latter sense, I could make it clear by specifically saying something like
which would generally mean that a definite thought passed through my mind.