REFLEXIVE AND EMPHATIC PRONOUNS
Reflexive Pronouns
When self is added to my, your, him, her, it, and selves added to our, your, them, we get what are called Compound Personal Pronouns.
They are called Reflexive Pronouns. When the action done by the subject turns back (reflects) upon the subject, as,
I hurt myself. We hurt ourselves.
You will hurt yourself. You will hurt yourselves.
He hurt himself. They hurt themselves.
She hurt herself.
The horse hurt itself.
It will be noticed that each of these Reflexive Pronouns is used as the Object of a verb, and refers to the same person or thing as that denoted by the Subject of the verb.
Sometimes, in older English, especially in poetry, a simple pronoun was used reflexively as,
Now I lay me down to sleep.
The word self is sometimes used as a Noun, as,
To thine own self be true.
He cares for nothing but self.
He thinks much of self.
Emphatic Pronouns
Now look at the following sentences:-
I will do it myself.
I myself was him do it.
We will see to it ourselves.
You yourself can best explain
He himself said so.
She herself says so.
It was told so by the teacher himself.
We saw the Prime Minister himself.
The town itself is not very large,
They themselves admitted their guilt.
It will be seen that here Compound Personal Pronouns are used for the sake of emphasis, and are therefore called Emphatic Pronouns.
