Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronoun emphasize a noun or pronoun in a sentence. Words like myself, yourself, himself, herself, and themselves add emphasis but do not change the sentence’s meaning. Many learners confuse them with reflexive pronouns, but their function is different. Understanding intensive pronoun helps improve clarity and emphasis in writing. This blog post helps learn intensive pronouns with definitions, rules, and examples for better English grammar.

List of Intensive Pronouns

The intensive pronouns in English are:

Singular Intensive Pronouns:

• Myself
• Yourself
• Himself
• Herself
• Itself

Plural Intensive Pronouns:

• Ourselves
• Yourselves
• Themselves

Rules for Using Intensive Pronouns

1. Always Emphasize the Subject
   • Fatima herself fixed the broken chair.
2. Do Not Change the Meaning of the Sentence
   • I myself will handle the situation.
3. Never Use as an Object
   • Incorrect: He gave the book to myself.❌
   • Correct: He gave the book to me.✅
4. Avoid Redundancy
   • Incorrect: The students themselves solved the problem by themselves.❌
   • Correct: The students themselves solved the problem.✅

Examples of Intensive Pronoun in Sentences

• Zayd himself cleaned the entire house.
• She herself admitted her mistake.
• The cat itself opened the door.
• We ourselves arranged the event.
• You yourself should know the truth.
• They themselves handled the crisis.
• Amina herself baked the cake.
• I myself wrote this book.
• The children themselves decorated the room.
• The president himself attended the meeting.
• You yourselves must be careful.
• The machine itself malfunctioned.
• The witnesses themselves testified in court.
• She herself learned Arabic fluently.
• The driver himself repaired the vehicle.
• We ourselves decided to leave early.
• The chef himself cooked the meal.
• They themselves created the project.
• I myself verified the documents.
• You yourself should practice daily.

Intensive Pronoun vs. Reflexive Pronoun

Feature	Intensive Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
Purpose	Emphasize the subject	Act as objects of verbs
Sentence Impact	Can be removed without affecting meaning	Cannot be removed without making the sentence incorrect
Example	She herself cleaned the house.	She cleaned herself after work.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

1. Using an intensive pronoun incorrectly as an object
   • Incorrect: He gave the book to myself.❌
   • Correct: He gave the book to me.✅
2. Using an intensive pronoun without a proper antecedent
   • Incorrect: Himself fixed the problem.❌
   • Correct: Zaid himself fixed the problem.✅
3. Confusing intensive and reflexive pronouns
   • Incorrect: We enjoyed ourselves at the party (Incorrect if emphasis is intended).❌
   • Correct: We ourselves hosted the party.✅

Exercise on Intensive Pronouns

Fill in the blanks with the correct intensive pronoun (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves):

1. I _____ baked this cake from scratch.
2. She _____ painted the entire house without help.
3. The manager _____ approved the new policy.
4. You _____ should be proud of your achievements.
5. The students _____ organized the school event.
6. He _____ fixed the broken chair.
7. The machine _____ shut down after overheating.
8. We _____ planned the entire trip.
9. The artist _____ designed this masterpiece.
10. They _____ decided to donate to charity.

Answers:

1. myself
2. herself
3. himself
4. yourself
5. themselves
6. himself
7. itself
8. ourselves
9. himself
10. themselves

FAQs

Conclusion

Intensive pronoun is a powerful tool for adding emphasis in writing and speech. They help clarify responsibility, highlight subjects, and enhance communication. By understanding their usage and avoiding common mistakes, English learners can improve their grammar and express ideas more effectively.

Read More

• Types of Pronouns
• Emphatic Pronouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns
• Types of Nouns