Where Did Intensive Pronouns Come From?
English is a language that has been changing for over a thousand years. Long ago, when people in England spoke Old English (around 450–1100 CE), they already had special word forms that could add emphasis to a sentence. Over the centuries, those word forms shifted and simplified until they became the -self and -selves words we use today.
Let's look at a quick timeline to see how these pronouns developed.
So here's the big question this lesson answers: How do you use words like myself, yourself, and themselves correctly to add emphasis — and how can you tell the difference between an intensive pronoun and a reflexive pronoun? Let's find out.
Core Definitions & Principles
Before we dive into examples, let's nail down the key ideas. An intensive pronoun is a pronoun that ends in -self or -selves and is used right next to another noun or pronoun to emphasize it. "Intensive" comes from a Latin word meaning "to stretch or strengthen." That's exactly what these pronouns do — they stretch and strengthen the meaning of the word they sit beside.
Emphasis, Not Action
Removable Without Breaking the Sentence
Sits Right Next to Its Partner
Must Match in Number and Person
Visual Explanation — The Intensive Pronoun Family
There are exactly eight intensive pronouns in English. They are organized by person (first, second, third) and by number (singular or plural). The diagram below shows all eight, color-coded so you can spot the pattern.
Notice the clear pattern: every singular pronoun ends in -self, and every plural pronoun ends in -selves. The third-person singular group has three options because English uses different pronouns for males (himself), females (herself), and things or animals (itself).
Here's something important to remember: "hisself" and "theirselves" are not standard English words. You might hear people say them in casual conversation, but in your writing, always use himself and themselves.
How Intensive Pronouns Work
So how do you actually use an intensive pronoun in a sentence? There's a simple two-part mechanism. First, you write a noun or pronoun that names a person, place, or thing. Then you place the matching -self/-selves word right after it (or at the very end of the clause) to add emphasis.
Rule 1 — Place it right after the noun it emphasizes
Here, themselves sits right after students to stress that the students — not a teacher, not a parent — were the ones who organized it.
Rule 2 — Or place it at the end of the clause
Putting myself at the end still links it to I. The emphasis is the same: you did it without help from anyone else.
The Big Test: Can You Remove It?
This is the easiest way to check if a pronoun is intensive. Try taking it out. Does the sentence still make sense?
If the sentence breaks when you remove the -self word, then it's reflexive (a different use). If it still sounds fine, you've found an intensive pronoun. We'll explore this comparison more in Section 7.
Use this flowchart every time you aren't sure. Over time, you'll start spotting intensive pronouns automatically — no flowchart needed!
Detailed Breakdown — All Eight Pronouns in Action
Let's look at each intensive pronoun with an example sentence. Pay attention to which noun or pronoun each one emphasizes.
| Intensive Pronoun | Emphasizes | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| myself | I / me | I myself couldn't believe the score. |
| yourself | you (singular) | You yourself said it was a great idea. |
| himself | he / him | The chef himself came to our table. |
| herself | she / her | My grandmother herself taught me to cook. |
| itself | it | The building itself is over 200 years old. |
| ourselves | we / us | We ourselves painted every wall. |
| yourselves | you (plural) | You yourselves know how hard we practiced. |
| themselves | they / them | The animals themselves seemed to enjoy the music. |
Every single example above passes the "removal test." Try reading each sentence without the bolded word — you'll see that it still makes sense. The intensive pronoun just turns up the volume on who or what you're talking about.
Worked Example
Let's walk through a full example from start to finish. Imagine you're writing a paragraph for class, and you want to show that something surprising happened.
Intensive vs. Reflexive — What's the Difference?
Intensive pronouns and reflexive pronouns use the exact same words (myself, yourself, himself, etc.). The difference is all about how they're used in a sentence. Let's compare them side by side.
| Feature | Intensive Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Adds emphasis to another noun or pronoun | Shows the subject is also the object (receives the action) |
| Removable? | Yes — sentence still works without it | No — sentence becomes incomplete or changes meaning |
| Position | Right after the noun it emphasizes, or end of clause | After the verb, as the object |
| Example | She herself fixed the car. | She fixed herself a sandwich. |
| Removal test | "She fixed the car." ✅ | "She fixed a sandwich." ⚠️ (changes meaning) |
Here's the cool part: once you know the removal test, you'll never mix them up again. If you can take out the -self word and the sentence still makes sense, it's intensive. If the sentence falls apart, it's reflexive.
Connecting to Bigger Ideas
Now that you understand intensive pronouns, let's peek at how this skill connects to more advanced writing and grammar concepts you'll encounter in later grades.
| What You Know Now | What Comes Next |
|---|---|
| Intensive pronouns add emphasis | In 7th–8th grade, you'll learn about other emphatic structures like cleft sentences ("It was Sarah who won the race") and appositives. |
| The removal test distinguishes intensive from reflexive | In high school, you'll study deeper pronoun functions: nominative, objective, and possessive cases — and how pronoun errors change meaning. |
| Pronouns must agree with their antecedent (the noun they refer to) | Pronoun-antecedent agreement becomes more complex with indefinite pronouns like "everyone" and "each." |
| Intensive pronouns make writing more expressive | In rhetoric and persuasion classes, you'll learn how emphasis can be used as a persuasive technique in speeches and essays. |
Mastering intensive pronouns isn't just about passing a quiz. It gives you a tool for making your writing more precise and powerful. When you write "I myself believe we should change the school lunch menu," you sound confident and clear. That skill will serve you in every essay, presentation, and argument you ever make.
Practice Problems
Time to test what you've learned! Try each problem before clicking "Show Answer." The problems get a little harder as you go.
Lesson Summary
In this lesson, you learned that intensive pronouns are the eight words — myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves — that add emphasis to another noun or pronoun in a sentence. They evolved from Old English over a thousand years and are a standard part of modern grammar. The most important thing to remember is the removal test: if you can take the -self/-selves word out and the sentence still makes complete sense, it's intensive. If the sentence breaks, the pronoun is reflexive instead. Intensive pronouns must always match the word they emphasize in person and number (for example, "she" pairs with "herself," not "himself").
Use intensive pronouns in your writing when you want to make it crystal clear that a specific person or thing is the one you're talking about. Whether you're writing an essay, a speech, or even a text message, dropping in a well-placed herself or themselves is like turning up the volume on the most important word in your sentence. You now have the tools — the pronoun chart, the flowchart, and the removal test — to use them with confidence!