Reflexive Pronouns &
Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns and intensive pronouns look the same.

Both of them end in -self or -selves

Examples:

So, what is the difference between these two pronouns?

Reflexive Pronouns

These pronouns are used to refer to the subject of the sentence. They are a necessary part of the sentence.

Example:

Myself is referring to the subject which is I.

Example:

Ourselves is referring to the subjects which, in this sentence, is the two words sister and I.

Notice that these pronouns must be used with an antecedent. An antecedent is the word that a pronoun is referring to.

Since these pronouns always refers to the subject of the sentence, their antecedents will always be the subject.

Got it? Good! Now, it's time for intensive pronouns.

Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns are used to emphasize another noun or pronoun.

That means that they do not need to refer to the subject. They can refer to any old noun or pronoun in the sentence.

Example:

The intensive pronoun himself is referring to the noun President which is an object of the preposition.

Example:

Here, the intensive pronoun herself is referring to sister which is the subject of the sentence. Notice that you could take herself out of the sentence, and it would still make sense.

Since an intensive pronoun is used for emphasis, it is not necessary to the sentence. It does not give us any new information. You could take out an intensive pronoun from a sentence, and the sentence would still make sense.

Sentence Diagramming

Interested in sentence diagramming? It's fun! Click here to learn basic sentence diagramming.

Now you know all about reflexive pronouns!
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