Intensive Pronouns in English

Intensive pronouns can help you to make your sentences more effective and interesting. In this reference, we’ll take a look at intensive pronouns, how to use them, and some examples of intensive pronouns in a sentence.

What is an Intensive Pronoun?

An intensive pronoun helps emphasize a noun or another pronoun in a sentence. Intensive pronouns usually come after a noun or pronoun, and they are usually the same as the noun or pronoun they are emphasizing. The most common intensive pronouns in English are myself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, yourselves, and themselves.

Intensive pronouns add emphasis to a noun, but they don’t change the meaning of the sentence. For example, if you say, “I made this cake myself,” the meaning of the sentence is the same as if you said, “I made this cake.” The intensive pronoun myself is used to emphasize that you made the cake, and not someone else.

Intensive Pronouns List

Here are the intensive pronouns in English:

• Myself
• Himself
• Herself
• Itself
• Yourself
• Yourselves
• Themselves

How to Use Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are usually used after a noun or pronoun. For example, if you want to make it clear that you cooked dinner, you might say, “I cooked dinner myself.” The intensive pronoun myself is used to emphasize that you cooked the dinner, and not someone else.

Intensive pronouns can also be used to emphasize a noun or pronoun in the middle of a sentence. For example, if an unusual event happened, you might say, “The mayor, himself, visited us.” The intensive pronoun himself is used to emphasize that the mayor is important, and came for a personal visit.

Intensive pronouns can also be used at the end of a sentence. For example, if it's important to show the technical skill of your parent, you might say, “My mother fixed the car herself.” The intensive pronoun herself is used to emphasize that the mother was the one to fix the car, and not anyone else.

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Examples of Intensive Pronouns

Examples of intensive pronouns in a sentence:

• “I did the project myself.” (The intensive pronoun myself is used to emphasize that you did the project, and not someone else.)
• “You should do the work yourself.” (The intensive pronoun yourself is used to emphasize that you should do the work, and not someone else.)
• “We completed the project ourselves.” (The intensive pronoun ourselves is used to emphasize that you completed the project, and not someone else.)
• “She made the cake herself.” (The intensive pronoun herself is used to emphasize that she made the cake, and not someone else.)
• “They solved the problem themselves.” (The intensive pronoun themselves is used to emphasize that they solved the problem, and not someone else.)

Difference Between Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns

It is important to note that intensive pronouns and reflexive pronouns are not the same. Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize a noun or pronoun in a sentence, while reflexive pronouns help refer back to the subject of the sentence.

To emphasize that you cooked dinner, you might say, “I cooked dinner myself.” The intensive pronoun myself is used to emphasize that you cooked the dinner, and not someone else.

However, if you want to say that you cooked dinner for yourself, you might say, “I cooked dinner for myself.” The reflexive pronoun myself is used to refer back to the subject (you) of the sentence.

Summary

In a sentence, intensive pronouns are usually the same as the noun or pronoun they are emphasizing. Common intensive pronouns in English include myself, himself, herself, itself, yourself, yourselves, and themselves. Now that you know what intensive pronouns are and how to use them, you can use them yourself (was that intensive or reflexive?) to improve your writing. Good luck on your studies!