Myself and yourself for emphasis: doing it personally

The idea

For emphasis, match the reflexive pronoun to the person or thing: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves or themselves. Place it after the noun or pronoun, or at the end of the clause. By plus the reflexive can mean alone or without help.

Examples

• I baked the bread myself.
• The mayor herself opened the new library.
• We painted the room ourselves.
• You can check the timetable yourself.
• The children built the shelter by themselves.
• The guide himself carried our bags.
• The cat opened the cupboard by itself.

Watch out

Do not use myself as an ordinary subject in place of I. Emphasis identifies the person; it does not always mean without help.

Try it yourself

1. Choose the correct option. I repaired the lamp ___. (myself / yourself)

   Show answer or example answer

   myself

   myself matches the speaker, I.

2. Choose the correct option. The chef ___ brought us the soup. (herself / themselves)

   Show answer or example answer

   herself

   herself points back to the female chef and highlights her personal involvement.

3. Choose the correct option. They completed the puzzle by ___. (themselves / ourselves)

   Show answer or example answer

   themselves

   themselves matches they; here the phrase means without help.

4. Choose the correct option. We organised the event ___. (ourselves / yourselves)

   Show answer or example answer

   ourselves

   ourselves matches we, the people who organised the event.

Use it today

Describe something you did personally and something you did without help.