Reflexive And Emphatic Pronouns

Front 1

I did the job myself

Back 1

“Myself” should only be used reflexively, to refer back to the subject

Front 2

The director of the company wrote to us himself to apologise for the dreadful service

Back 2

We can use reflexive pronouns for emphasis:

the director of the company himself wrote to us to apologise for the dreadful service

Front 3

Parents and teachers always pass on to children what they themselves have been told, and this has been going on for hundreds, or even thousands of years

Back 3

We don’t use reflexive pronouns on their own as the subject of a clause, but we can use them with a noun or pronoun to emphasise the subject

Front 4

He himself told me this.

I finished the job myself pronouns.

They themselves admitted their mistake.

We ourselves witnessed the accident.

Back 4

When reflexive pronouns are used to put emphasis on a particular noun they are called emphatic pronouns

Front 5

The emphatic pronouns cannot be used as subjects. It is therefore wrong to say

Back 5

John and myself (I) went there.

(she) Herself swam in the river.

I invited herself (her) to tea

Front 6

A pronoun is a reflexive one if the action of the subject reflects upon the doer.

Back 6

Emphatic pronouns, on the other hand, are used to just emphasize the action of the subject.

Front 7

He cut himself.

Back 7

Reflexive: here the subject and object refer to the same person.

Front 8

He himself cut the cake.

Back 8

Emphatic: here the emphatic pronoun himself merely puts emphasis on the noun he.

Front 9

I spoke to the principal myself.

Back 9

Emphatic

Front 10

You must blame yourself for the loss.

Back 10

Reflexive

Front 11

Note that an emphatic pronoun can be removed from the sentence and the core meaning would not be affected.

Back 11

A reflexive pronoun, on the other hand, is indispensable. The sentence wouldn’t make complete sense if you remove the reflexive pronoun.

Front 12

Compare: He himself cut the cake. "He cut the cake"

Back 12

He cut himself. "He cut …what?"

Front 13

You will have noticed that in the first pair of sentences, the core meaning doesn’t change when the emphatic pronoun himself is removed from the sentence

Back 13

In the second pair of sentences, the meaning changes or becomes incomplete when the reflexive pronoun is removed

Front 14

If the reflexive pronoun in a sentence is replaced by the reciprocal pronoun ‘each other’, the meaning of the sentence changes drastically.

Back 14

Compare: John and Peter blamed themselves for the loss. (John blamed himself and Peter blamed himself.)

John and Peter blamed each other for the loss. (John blamed Peter and Peter blamed John.)

Front 15

We use verb + object + reflexive pronoun when we want to emphasize that another person did not do the action (or assist)

Back 15

I repaired the tire myself.

They did the homework themselves.

My brother spoke to his boss himself about a raise.

Front 16

We use verb + reflexive pronoun + object when we do something for ourselves.

Back 16

She cooked herself a quiche.

We taught ourselves French.

Front 17

I myself heard his remarks.

Back 17

Emphatic (Here the pronoun myself merely adds emphasis to the pronoun subject I.)

Front 18

We often deceive ourselves.

Back 18

Reflexive. (Here the pronoun ourselves acts as the object of the verb deceive.)

Front 19

He himself said so.

Back 19

Emphatic (The pronoun himself puts an emphasis on the pronoun subject he.)

Front 20

I myself went to the market and bought it.

Back 20

Emphatic

Front 21

He himself painted the walls

Back 21

Emphatic

Front 22

Raju did it himself.

Back 22

Emphatic

Front 23

Don’t touch that electric wire. You will hurt yourself.

Back 23

Reflexive (Here the pronoun yourself acts as the object of the verb hurt.)

Front 24

I will give myself five days to finish that job.

Back 24

Reflexive

Front 25

John himself was not aware of the plan.

Back 25

Emphatic

Front 26

The terrorist shot himself.

Back 26

Reflexive

Front 27

Alice herself told me that she was quitting her job.

Back 27

Emphatic

Front 28

You must believe me. I myself heard him shout at her.

Back 28

Emphatic