Intensive pronouns: What they are and how they’re used

“He himself finished the puzzle”

Intensive pronouns are a type of pronoun that adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun already in the sentence. Let’s learn more.

What they are

• Intensive pronouns end in “-self” or “-selves” (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves).  
• They are used to emphasize a preceding noun or pronoun.  
• Importantly, they are not essential to the core meaning of the sentence. They can be removed, and the sentences will still make sense.

How they’re used

• Emphasis
  • Their primary function is to add emphasis. They highlight that the subject performed the action.  
  • Example: “I myself made the cake.” (This emphasizes that “I” specifically made it.)  
• Placement
  • They often appear directly after the noun or pronoun they emphasize but can also appear elsewhere in the sentence.
  • Examples
    • She herself wrote the report.
    • She wrote the report herself.
• Key distinction: Intensive vs. reflexive pronouns
  • It’s crucial to distinguish intensive pronouns from reflexive pronouns. They have the same form but different functions.  
  • Intensive: Adds emphasis. The sentence is grammatically complete without it.  
  • Example: “The president himself attended the meeting.”
  • Reflexive: Refers back to the subject. The sentence’s meaning may change or become incorrect if it is removed.  
  • Example: “He hurt himself.”  

Common intensive pronouns

• herself – Emphasizes “she.”
  • Example: She herself called me. / She called me herself.
• himself – Emphasizes “he.”
  • Example: He himself built the house. / He built the house himself.
• itself – Emphasizes “it.”
  • Example: The machine itself malfunctioned.
  • Note: “The machine malfunctioned itself” sounds awkward to many native speakers.
• myself– Emphasizes “I.”
  • Example: I myself finished the project. / I finished the project myself.
• ourselves – Emphasizes “we.”
  • We ourselves organized the event. / We organized the event ourselves.
• themselves – Emphasizes “they.”
  • Example: They themselves admitted the mistake. / They admitted the mistake themselves.
• yourself – Emphasizes “you” (singular)
  • Example: You yourself can decide. / You can decide yourself. / You can decide for yourself.
• yourselves – Emphasizes “you” (plural).
  • Example: You yourselves are responsible. / You are responsible yourselves.

In summary

Intensive pronouns are pronouns that emphasize or intensify a noun or another pronoun in a sentence. They look identical to reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves), but their function is different. While reflexive pronouns reflect the action back onto the subject (e.g., “She hurt herself”), intensive pronouns are used for emphasis, highlighting the subject or object they refer to.

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