Reflexive and intensive pronouns are the words myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself,

ourselves, yourselves, themselves. These words are classified or grouped as reflexive depending
on how they are used in sentences. In the examples below the reflexive and intensive pronouns
are in italics.

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence:

 I gave myself plenty of time to get to work.

 You should let yourself into the house.
 Jim bought himself a shirt.
 Jill read to herself.
 The dog scratched itself.
 We treated ourselves to pizza.
 You can make yourselves at home.
 The children are able to dress themselves.

Intensive pronouns are the same words used to smphasize the subject of the sentence. Intensive
pronouns usually appear right near the subject of the sentence.

 I myself am sick of the heat.

 You yourself are responsible for this mess!
 The president himself appeared at the rally.
 The actress herself wrote those lines.
 The cat itself caught the mouse.
 We ourselves made the meal.
 You yourselves can win this game.
 The troops themselves helped the people escape the burning building.

Intensive Pronouns
What is an intensive pronoun?

An intensive pronoun is almost identical to a reflexive pronoun. It is defined as a pronoun that ends
inself or selves and places emphasis on its antecedent. You can tell the difference between a
reflexive pronoun and an intensive pronoun easily: Intensive pronouns aren’t essential to a
sentence’s basic meaning. Understanding this basic difference will help to prevent you from
confusing the two.

 Himself
 Herself
 Yourself
 Themselves
 Ourselves
Intensive pronouns might not be necessary, but they serve the important function of making your
writing more interesting as well as more meaningful, particularly in formal situations. Use them
sparingly to ensure that the emphasis they provide isn’t lost.

Examples of Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to statements. In the following examples, the intensive
pronouns have been italicized for ease of identification.

Jesse wondered aloud whether he himself was the only one seeing what was happening.

Maria knew that she herself could make a positive impact on the world, if only she put her mind to it.

You yourself can easily transform your body: All it takes is a proper diet and plenty of exercise.

The team knew that they themselves were responsible for playing their best.

We ourselves are the ones who make the greatest impact upon the world we live in.

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence or
clause. They either end in –self, as in the singular form, or –selves as in the plural form.

The singular reflexive pronouns are:

Myself

Yourself

Himself, herself, itself

Plural reflexive pronouns include:

Ourselves

Yourselves
Themselves

All of the above pronouns are used to rename the subjects of action verbs and function
as different types of objects. If the reflexive pronoun is taken out of the sentence, it
won’t make sense. Let’s look at a few examples.

Examples of reflexive pronouns

The following sentences are examples of the correct and incorrect use of reflexive
pronouns.

Non-reflexive: Adam e-mailed him a copy of the report.

In this sense the italicized words are not the same person. Him is not a reflection
of Adam therefore it is not a reflexive pronoun.

Reflexive: Adam e-mailed himself a copy of the report.

Here are the italicized words are the same person. Himself reflects back to the subject
of the sentence which is Adam.

Non-reflexive: Allison accidentally cut her with the scissors.

Reflexive: Allison accidentally cut herself.

Non-reflexive: Brandon blames you.

Reflexive: Brandon blames himself.

Non-reflexive: Can you feed my guests?

Reflexive: Can you feed yourselves?

Non-reflexive: They cannot help the angry mob.

Reflexive: They cannot help themselves.

Non-reflexive: Carol poured her a glass of milk.

Reflexive: Carol poured herself a glass of milk.

Non-reflexive: The young girl was singing happily to them.

Reflexive: The young girl was singing happily to herself.
More examples of reflexive pronouns:

I gave myself 12 weeks to get in shape.

You should buy yourself a new computer.

Diane bought herself a new pair of shoes.

Jeff read quietly to himself.

The kitten groomed itself.

We treated ourselves to a night on the town.

The students are able to monitor themselves