Practice
Emphatic pronouns: rules and examples
Compare The director herself answered the call with The director answered the call herself. In both sentences, herself adds emphasis. It tells us that the director, rather than an assistant or another person, did it.
Use emphatic pronouns to add emphasis to a noun or pronoun, and distinguish that use from a reflexive pronoun that completes a verb.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
emphatic pronoun /ɪmˈfætɪk ˈproʊnaʊn/
The short answer
Use an emphatic pronoun to stress who did an action. Put it immediately after the noun or pronoun, or later in the clause. You can usually remove it and keep the basic sentence grammar.
I myself checked every figure before the meeting.
Why it works: Myself emphasizes I. Without myself, the sentence still has a complete subject and verb.
5 more examples
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The lead engineer herself explained the safety change.
Herself adds emphasis to the lead engineer. The sentence remains complete without the emphatic pronoun.
Not this:The lead engineer explained
herselfclearly during the meeting. What changes: Here herself is reflexive. It refers to the person being explained, so it works as the verb's object rather than as optional emphasis. -
We ourselves arranged the interview schedule.
Ourselves stresses that we did the arranging. It agrees with the plural subject we.
Not this:We prepared
ourselvesfor a difficult interview. What changes: Prepared needs an object in this meaning. Ourselves is reflexive because it receives the action of preparing. -
The museum opened the side door itself.
Itself gives emphasis to the museum as the organization responsible for opening the door.
Not this:The door opened
by itselfafter the alarm stopped. What changes: By itself means without help. It is an adverbial phrase, not an emphatic pronoun attached to the subject. -
The final decision came from the committee itself.
Itself comes after the noun phrase and emphasizes the committee as the source of the decision.
Not this:The final decision came from the
committee chair. What changes: This sentence identifies a person who made the decision. It does not add emphasis to the committee. -
You yourself can decide when to send the application.
Yourself emphasizes you. It is placed directly after the pronoun it refers to.
Not this:You should give
yourselfenough time to read the application. What changes: Give needs a receiver. Yourself is reflexive because the person who gives the time is also the person who receives it.
Read the full guide
First, find the person or thing you want to stress. Then add the matching -self or -selves form. The extra word should point back to that same noun or pronoun, not introduce a new subject.
Add emphasis to the person who acts
Use an emphatic pronoun when the listener may be surprised by who did an action, or when that person matters to your point. The pronoun points back to a noun or pronoun already named.
The author herself introduced the new edition.
Herself makes the author the focus. The basic information is that the author introduced the edition.
Which word receives extra emphasis in The author herself introduced the new edition?
The author receives the emphasis. Herself points back to that noun.
Choose the matching form
The form must agree with the noun or pronoun it emphasizes. Use myself with I, yourself with you, himself with he, herself with she, itself with it, ourselves with we, and themselves with they or a plural noun.
The volunteers themselves cleaned the room after the event.
Volunteers is plural, so themselves is the matching form.
Complete the sentence: My brother ___ fixed the bicycle.
Use himself. My brother himself fixed the bicycle.
Put the pronoun where it sounds natural
For close emphasis, put the pronoun immediately after its reference. You can also place it later in the clause, often after the object. Both positions are possible when the meaning stays clear.
The client signed the agreement herself.
Herself appears later in the clause but still points back to the client.
Which version gives immediate emphasis: The client herself signed the agreement or The client signed the agreement herself?
The client herself signed the agreement places the emphatic pronoun directly after the noun. Both versions can be correct.
Tell emphatic and reflexive uses apart
The forms look alike, so check the verb. A reflexive pronoun is needed when the subject acts on the same person or thing. An emphatic pronoun is optional because it only adds emphasis.
Nora blamed herself for the missed deadline.
Blamed needs an object. Herself is reflexive here, so you cannot simply remove it.
Can you remove himself from Omar himself called the hotel?
Yes. Omar called the hotel is still complete, so himself is emphatic.
Avoid subject-form mistakes
Do not use a -self form as the subject of a standard sentence. Say I completed the report, not Myself completed the report. Add myself only after I when you need emphasis.
I myself completed the report before noon.
I is the subject. Myself is extra emphasis, not a replacement for the subject.
Choose the standard sentence: Myself sent the email or I myself sent the email?
Use I myself sent the email. I is the subject, and myself adds emphasis.
Before you go
Remember this
Use an emphatic pronoun to stress the person or thing that did something. Match the form to its reference, and place it beside that reference or later in the clause. If removing the word leaves the same basic sentence, it is probably emphatic. If the verb needs the word as its object, it is reflexive.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
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Try the written questionsQuestions about "Emphatic pronouns: rules and examples"
What is an emphatic pronoun?
An emphatic pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun already named in a sentence. In The lead engineer herself explained the safety change, herself directs attention to the lead engineer. The basic sentence remains grammatical if you remove the emphatic pronoun.
The lead engineer herself explained the safety change.
Are emphatic pronouns and intensive pronouns the same?
Yes. Many grammar references use intensive pronoun for the same use that other references call an emphatic pronoun. Both terms describe a -self or -selves form that adds force to a noun or pronoun rather than filling a required object position.
The lead engineer explained herself clearly during the meeting.
Where can an emphatic pronoun go in a sentence?
Put an emphatic pronoun directly after the noun or pronoun for close emphasis, as in We ourselves arranged the interview schedule. It can also come later in the clause, as in The museum opened the side door itself. In either position, it must clearly point back to its reference.
We ourselves arranged the interview schedule.
How do emphatic pronouns differ from reflexive pronouns?
A reflexive pronoun completes the verb when the action returns to the subject, as in We prepared ourselves for a difficult interview. An emphatic pronoun is optional and only adds focus. If removing the -self form leaves a complete sentence with the same basic meaning, the use is usually emphatic.
We prepared ourselves for a difficult interview.
Can myself be the subject of a sentence?
No. In standard English, use I as the subject: I will attend. Add myself after I only when you want emphasis, as in I myself will attend. The same principle applies to other -self forms: they can add emphasis, but they do not replace a normal subject pronoun.
The museum opened the side door itself.