REFLEXIVE AND INTENSIVE PRONOUNS

1. Reflexive and intensive pronouns end in -self or -selves.
2. These are myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself, ourselves, and themselves.
3. There is, however, one difference between reflexive and Intensive pronouns.
4. A reflexive pronoun refers to an action performed by the subject of the sentence.

The meaning of the sentence is incomplete without the reflexive pronoun.

Examples: Monicah bought herself a new dress.

(The meaning of the sentence is incomplete without the reflexive pronoun because we do not know for whom Monicah bought the dress).

An Intensive pronoun is used to emphasise a noun or a pronoun.

It does not add information to a sentence, and it can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence.

I myself pulled the boy out of the river.

(If you remove myself, the meaning of the sentence does not change)

Exercise 12

Identify the Reflexive and Intensive pronouns in the following sentences, labeling them accordingly.

1. I myself have never tried mountain climbing.
2. He himself was taking the cows to graze in the forest.
3. My sister Anastasia mends her clothes herself.
4. She often challenges herself by doing strenuous activities.
5. You may ask yourself about the sanity of beer drinking competition.