The short answer
“Your good self” is a formal way of addressing someone as “you”, inherited from British Raj-era official letters. It is not ungrammatical, but it is a colonial-era fossil — Britain dropped it from modern English decades ago, while Indian offices, courts, and institutions kept using it. Modern formal English simply says “you.”
Old-Fashioned vs. Modern
Old-Fashioned
I request your good self to look into this matter.
Modern English
I request you to look into this matter.
Old-Fashioned
Kindly inform your good self about the revised schedule.
Modern English
Please note the revised schedule.
Old-Fashioned
This is to inform your good self that the payment has been received.
Modern English
This is to inform you that the payment has been received.
Old-Fashioned
Your good self may kindly approve the attached proposal.
Modern English
Please approve the attached proposal.
Why Do People Say It?
“Your good self” belongs to the same family as “do the needful” and “out of station” — phrases that were once standard in British administrative English and travelled to India through 19th-century government correspondence. Once fixed in the formal register of Indian offices, courts, and schools, these phrases kept getting taught and reused long after Britain itself moved on to plainer, more direct formal writing.
The word “good” here doesn’t describe a quality — it is simply a fixed politeness marker, much like “kindly” in “kindly do the needful.”
Exam tip
In IELTS Writing (formal letters and emails) and in modern SSC/professional correspondence, replace “your good self” with plain “you”. Examiners mark it as outdated, non-standard register — not as an error of grammar, but as a fluency and naturalness deduction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is 'your good self' grammatically wrong?+
No — it is grammatically correct. The issue is that it is an old-fashioned, overly formal way of saying 'you', inherited from British Raj-era official correspondence and long dropped from modern English, including modern British English.
Why do Indian offices say 'your good self'?+
It comes directly from the formal register of 19th and early 20th-century British government and business letters in India, where addressing someone as 'your goodself' was standard polite usage. Britain itself moved to plainer modern English decades ago, but Indian offices, courts, and institutions kept the older formal style.
What should I write instead of 'your good self' in formal English?+
Simply use 'you'. Modern formal English favours direct, plain address: 'I request you to...', 'Kindly note that...', or 'Please approve...'. This is standard in IELTS Writing and in modern professional emails worldwide.
Read Next
Why Do Bengalis Say 'Are You Well?'
Same register mismatch — a formal greeting overused in casual speech
Why Is 'What Is Your Good Name?' Wrong?
The sibling honorific — 'good' attached to a different noun
Why Is 'Do the Needful' Wrong?
Another colonial-era Indian office-English phrase
Why Is 'Out of Station' Wrong?
1800s British railway English India kept, Britain forgot
IELTS Writing Grammar Guide
Band 7+ rules for formal register and word choice