Intensive and Reflexive Pronouns

Intensive Pronouns

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Intensive pronouns are formed by adding –self or –selves to certain personal and possessive pronouns.

Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves are the intensive pronouns.

An intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun already named.

• Ex. I will do it myself.

• Ex. He himself paid for the book.

Intensive pronouns can be removed from the sentence without changing the meaning.

• Ex. I will do it.

• Ex. He paid for the book.

Never use intensive pronouns as the subject of a sentence.

Ex. Roy and myself read a story. (It should be “Roy and I read a story.”)

Identify whether the underlined pronoun is intensive or not.

Multiple Choice

I gave myself a manicure last night.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

The singer herself wrote the music and lyrics for the song.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

The cat itself caught the mouse in the basement.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

They bought themselves new clothes.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

He himself read the book.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

He read the book to himself.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

When you arrive, please let yourself into the house.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

We ourselves baked a cake from scratch.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

They solved the riddle by themselves.

• intensive

• reflexive

Multiple Choice

John made himself lunch.

• intensive

• reflexive