Examples of Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns Explained
Reflexive and intensive pronouns use the same eight words — myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves — but they do different jobs. A reflexive pronoun shows the subject acting on itself: “She taught herself guitar.” An intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun: “The chef herself served the meal.” Because the forms are identical, the reliable test is whether the pronoun is essential to the sentence’s core meaning. If you can remove it and the sentence still makes sense, it is intensive.
Reflexive vs Intensive Pronouns
A reflexive pronoun refers back to the subject of the sentence. It signals that the subject and the object are the same person or thing. Without it, the sentence would either change meaning or become incomplete.
An intensive pronoun points back to a noun or pronoun to emphasize it. The sentence remains grammatically complete and means essentially the same thing if the intensive pronoun is deleted.
The difference comes down to function, not form:
- Reflexive = reflects the action back onto the subject; it is necessary.
- Intensive = adds emphasis; it is optional.
Consider the contrast:
- Reflexive: “He blamed himself for the error.” Remove himself and the sentence collapses — you would need to ask, “blamed whom?”
- Intensive: “The director himself approved the budget.” Remove himself and you still have a complete, sensible sentence: “The director approved the budget.”
The Purdue Online Writing Lab notes that these pronouns end in -self or -selves, a helpful first clue when scanning a sentence. Both Merriam-Webster and the Cambridge Dictionary treat the reflexive and intensive uses as distinct grammatical functions of the same set of words.
Why the distinction matters
Writers sometimes use a reflexive pronoun where a simple personal pronoun belongs. “Please email the report to myself” is a common error; standard usage calls for “to me.” Reflexive forms are correct only when the subject and object genuinely refer to the same entity. When in doubt, ask whether the pronoun is doing real grammatical work or just adding emphasis.
Examples of Reflexive Pronouns
Here is the full set of reflexive pronouns, each doing its reflecting job.
| Pronoun | Example sentence |
|---|---|
| myself | I taught myself to play the piano. |
| yourself | You should give yourself more credit. |
| himself | He hurt himself during the game. |
| herself | She considers herself an expert baker. |
| itself | The cat cleaned itself after dinner. |
| ourselves | We organized the event ourselves. |
| yourselves | You all need to pace yourselves. |
| themselves | They built the cabin themselves. |
In each sentence, the pronoun is the object, and its antecedent is the subject. That is the defining feature of a reflexive pronoun: it “bounces” the action straight back.
Reflexive pronouns with prepositions
Reflexive pronouns often follow a preposition when the object is the same as the subject:
- He kept the news to himself.
- She was talking to herself while she studied.
- They bought the tickets for themselves.
Removing the pronoun in these cases leaves an incomplete idea — “He kept the news to” does not stand on its own. That incompleteness confirms the pronoun is reflexive, not merely emphatic.
Examples of Intensive Pronouns
Now look at the same forms doing a completely different job — pushing emphasis onto a nearby noun.
- I myself will handle the complaint.
- You yourself said the plan was risky.
- The CEO himself answered the phone.
- The author herself read the audiobook.
- The building itself was undamaged.
- We ourselves were surprised by the result.
- You students yourselves asked for more practice.
- The players themselves requested extra training.
In every case, the pronoun stresses its antecedent — it tells the reader, “yes, this specific person or thing.” And in every case, you can cross out the pronoun and the sentence still works:
- “The CEO answered the phone.”
- “The building was undamaged.”
- “The players requested extra training.”
That removability is the giveaway. Intensive pronouns often sit right after the noun they modify, though they can also appear later in the clause for stylistic effect.
A quick worked example
Take the sentence “The manager herself reviewed every application.”
- Identify the pronoun: herself.
- Find its antecedent: the manager.
- Test removability: “The manager reviewed every application” — still complete and clear.
- Conclusion: herself is intensive.
Now take “The manager reminded herself to review the applications.”
- Pronoun: herself. Antecedent: the manager.
- Test removability: “The manager reminded to review the applications” — broken.
- Conclusion: herself is reflexive.
Reflexive or Intensive? Practice Examples
The fastest way to master the difference is to compare matched pairs, where the same pronoun appears in both roles.
| Sentence | Type | How you know |
|---|---|---|
| She prepared herself for the interview. | Reflexive | herself is the object of prepared; removing it breaks the sentence |
| She herself prepared the entire meal. | Intensive | herself only emphasizes she; removal keeps the meaning |
| They taught themselves to code. | Reflexive | the action lands back on they |
| They themselves taught the coding class. | Intensive | emphasis on they; sentence works without it |
| He poured himself a cup of coffee. | Reflexive | himself is the indirect object tied to he |
| He himself poured the coffee. | Intensive | stresses he; optional |
A simple two-question test
When you meet a -self pronoun, run this check:
- Is it the object? If the verb or preposition needs it to complete the thought, it is reflexive.
- Can you delete it? If the sentence survives with the same core meaning, it is intensive.
Two cautions are worth remembering. First, never use a reflexive form as the subject: “Myself and Jamie went” is wrong; write “Jamie and I went.” Second, do not use a reflexive pronoun where a personal pronoun is standard — a common slip in business writing, as in “contact myself” instead of “contact me.”
Key Takeaways
- Reflexive and intensive pronouns share the same eight forms: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.
- A reflexive pronoun reflects the action back to the subject and is grammatically required.
- An intensive pronoun emphasizes a noun or pronoun and can be removed without changing the sentence’s core meaning.
- The removability test is the quickest way to tell them apart.
- Avoid using reflexive forms as subjects, and do not swap them in for ordinary personal pronouns.
