6th Grade Writing Quiz: Use Intensive Pronouns

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Use Intensive Pronouns, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for 6th Grade Writing.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

Question 1

1. themself
2. theirself
3. themselves (correct answer)
4. ourselves

Explanation: The subject "the twins" is plural and refers to more than one person, so you need the plural intensive pronoun built from the object pronoun them. That gives you themselves, which is a real, standard word that matches a plural subject. Now look at why the others do not work. "Themself" uses the correct base word them but has the singular -self ending, so it does not match the two people named by "the twins." "Theirself" makes a common mistake: it builds the pronoun from the possessive their instead of the object pronoun them, and it also uses the singular -self ending, so it fails on both counts. "Ourselves" is a real word with the correct plural -selves ending, but it is built from our and refers to a group that includes the speaker ("we"), not to "the twins," so it points to the wrong people. A quick tip: the plural intensive pronouns are ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. If you ever see "theirselves," "hisself," or "theirself," you can rule them out, because they are not real words in Standard English.

Question 2

1. himself (correct answer)
2. themselves
3. itself
4. ourself

Explanation: When you see a question about intensive pronouns, remember that an intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun or pronoun already in the sentence—it "intensifies" the subject. The key move is to identify who or what the pronoun is emphasizing, then match it in number (singular/plural) and person/gender. Here, the pronoun refers back to Marcus, who is one male person. That means you need a singular, masculine pronoun, which is why himself is correct. It emphasizes that Marcus, and no one else, would do the repair—"he himself would repair the fence." Now look at why the others fail. Themselves is plural, so it would only work if the subject were a group (like "the boys"), but Marcus is just one person. Itself is used for objects or animals, not people—you might say "the fence itself," but you can't use it to refer to Marcus. Ourself isn't a standard pronoun at all; the correct first-person plural form is "ourselves," and it wouldn't fit anyway because the subject is "he," not "we." A helpful strategy: always match the intensive pronoun to the subject it emphasizes. Ask yourself two quick questions—"Is the subject singular or plural?" and "Is it a person, and if so, male or female?" For a single male like Marcus, the answer is always himself. Also remember the correct list ends in -self (singular) or -selves (plural), so any word like "ourself" is a red flag.

Question 3

1. It receives the action of the verb "prepared," making it necessary to the sentence's meaning.
2. It replaces the subject entirely, so "the chef" is not needed for the sentence to make sense.
3. It shows that the chef performed an action on her own body, similar to "She hurt herself."
4. It renames the subject "chef" and could be removed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence. (correct answer)

Explanation: This question tests your understanding of intensive pronouns—words like myself, herself, itself, and themselves that end in -self or -selves. The key is knowing that these pronouns can play two very different roles, and you have to look at how the word actually works in the sentence. An intensive pronoun simply adds emphasis. It renames a noun already in the sentence to stress who did something. In "The chef prepared the sauce herself," the word herself emphasizes that the chef—not an assistant—did the preparing. You could remove it entirely ("The chef prepared the sauce") and the sentence would still make complete sense. That's why the choice describing herself as renaming the subject and being removable without changing the basic meaning is correct. The choice saying it "receives the action of the verb 'prepared'" is wrong because sauce is what gets prepared, not herself. The choice claiming it "replaces the subject entirely" is incorrect—intensive pronouns add to a subject, they never stand in for it; remove the chef and the sentence collapses. The choice comparing it to "She hurt herself" describes a reflexive pronoun, where the action really does loop back onto the doer. Here, no action is being done to the chef's body, so that role doesn't apply. Study tip: To tell intensive from reflexive pronouns, try deleting the -self word. If the sentence still makes sense, it's intensive (emphasis). If the sentence breaks, it's reflexive (necessary).

Question 4

1. The captain hisself decided to change the team's strategy at halftime. (correct answer)
2. The captain himself decided to change the team's strategy at halftime.
3. The players themselves voted on the new team captain.
4. The coach herself announced the final roster to the press.

Explanation: This question tests your knowledge of intensive pronouns—the pronouns that end in -self or -selves and add emphasis to a noun (like "The president herself signed the bill"). The trap here isn't about when to use an intensive pronoun, but whether the pronoun is spelled and formed correctly. The sentence with an error is "The captain hisself decided to change the team's strategy at halftime." The word "hisself" is a nonstandard form—it doesn't exist in Standard English. English builds the masculine reflexive/intensive pronoun from the object pronoun him plus -self, giving you himself, not hisself. Even though people say "hisself" in casual speech, it's always incorrect in writing. Look at why the others are correct. "The captain himself decided..." uses the proper form emphasizing the captain. "The players themselves voted..." correctly pairs a plural noun with the plural -selves form. "The coach herself announced..." correctly emphasizes the coach with the standard feminine form. Each of these matches the noun in number and uses an accepted spelling. A quick way to check these: the standard intensive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves. Notice there is no hisself and no theirselves on that list—both are common errors. When you spot an -self word, mentally run it against this list. If it's not there, it's nonstandard, no matter how natural it sounds out loud.

Question 5

1. Only Sentence 1, because "herself" is an intensive pronoun that adds emphasis but isn't required (correct answer)
2. Only Sentence 2, because "themselves" simply repeats the subject for clarity
3. Both sentences, because reflexive and intensive pronouns can always be removed
4. Neither sentence, because both pronouns are essential objects of their verbs

Explanation: This question tests the difference between intensive and reflexive pronouns—two types that look identical (myself, herself, themselves) but do very different jobs. Here's the key: an intensive pronoun simply adds emphasis and can be removed without breaking the sentence. A reflexive pronoun is essential because it acts as the object that receives the action of the verb. To tell them apart, try removing the pronoun and see if the sentence still makes sense. In Sentence 1, "The director herself approved the final cut" works perfectly without "herself": The director approved the final cut. The word just emphasizes who did it, so "herself" is intensive and removable. That's why "Only Sentence 1, because 'herself' is an intensive pronoun that adds emphasis but isn't required" is correct. The choice claiming "Only Sentence 2" gets it backwards—in Sentence 2, "themselves" is the object of "injured." Remove it and you get The actors injured, which leaves the reader asking "injured whom?" So "themselves" is reflexive and cannot be dropped. "Both sentences, because reflexive and intensive pronouns can always be removed" is wrong because reflexive pronouns are never optional—removing them destroys the meaning. "Neither sentence, because both pronouns are essential objects" is also wrong, since "herself" isn't an object at all; it modifies the subject for emphasis. Study tip: When you spot a "-self" pronoun, cover it and reread. If the sentence still stands, it's intensive (removable). If it collapses, it's reflexive (essential).

Question 6

1. Sentence 1, because "herself" is the object of the verb "taught"
2. Neither sentence, because "herself" always functions as a reflexive pronoun
3. Both sentences, because "herself" appears in the same position in each
4. Sentence 2, because "herself" emphasizes that Elena acted alone and could be removed (correct answer)

Explanation: Words ending in -self or -selves can be two different kinds of pronouns, and the trick is figuring out which job the word is doing in the sentence. A reflexive pronoun is necessary—it points the action back to the subject and can't be removed. An intensive pronoun is optional—it simply adds emphasis, and you can delete it without breaking the sentence. Test this by removing "herself." In Sentence 2, "Elena herself mastered every piece" becomes "Elena mastered every piece"—still a complete, correct sentence. The word "herself" just emphasizes that Elena, and no one else, did it. That's an intensive pronoun, which is why the choice pointing to Sentence 2 because "herself" emphasizes and could be removed is correct. The choice claiming Sentence 1 uses an intensive pronoun because "herself" is the object of "taught" is actually describing a reflexive pronoun—there, "herself" receives the action ("taught herself") and can't be dropped, so it isn't intensive. The choice saying "herself" is always reflexive is false; the same word can serve either role depending on the sentence. And the choice claiming both sentences use intensive pronouns because "herself" sits in the same spot is wrong on two counts: the word appears in different positions, and position alone doesn't determine the pronoun type—function does. Study tip: When you see a -self word, try deleting it. If the sentence still works, it's intensive (emphasis). If removing it breaks the meaning, it's reflexive (essential).

Question 7

1. The author herself wrote the surprising ending of the novel. (correct answer)
2. The author wrote herself the surprising ending of the novel.
3. Herself, the author wrote the surprising ending of the novel.
4. The author wrote the surprising ending of the novel to herself.

Explanation: When you see a question about intensive pronouns, remember their special job: they emphasize a noun or pronoun that appears right before them. Words like herself, himself, myself, and themselves work best when placed directly after the word they're stressing. Ask yourself, "Which noun am I trying to spotlight?" Then place the pronoun right beside it. Here, the goal is to emphasize that the author—not an editor—wrote the ending. So the intensive pronoun should sit immediately after "author." That's exactly what happens in "The author herself wrote the surprising ending of the novel." The word herself renames and emphasizes the author, making it crystal clear who did the writing. "The author wrote herself the surprising ending of the novel" misplaces the pronoun so it sounds like she wrote the ending to or for herself, changing the meaning entirely. "Herself, the author wrote the surprising ending of the novel" drops the pronoun at the front, disconnected from any noun—intensive pronouns can't stand alone like that. And "The author wrote the surprising ending of the novel to herself" turns herself into a reflexive pronoun receiving the action, suggesting she wrote it privately to herself, which isn't the intended emphasis. Study tip: To test an intensive pronoun, try deleting it. If the sentence still makes sense and you were just adding emphasis, it's intensive—and it belongs right next to the noun it emphasizes. If removing it breaks the meaning, it's reflexive and plays a different role.

Question 8

1. himself
2. yourselves
3. themselves (correct answer)
4. ourselves

Explanation: An intensive pronoun adds emphasis to a noun already in the sentence, stressing who did the action. First, find the noun it points back to. Here, that noun is "the committee members"—more than one person, and the sentence talks about them, not about the writer or the reader. A pronoun that matches a plural, third-person noun is "themselves." It emphasizes that the members did the survey on their own: they did it themselves, without outside help. "Himself" is singular and refers to just one male person, so it cannot match "members," which is clearly plural. "Yourselves" is plural, which fits the number, but it is second person—it would mean the people being spoken to, and the sentence is about the members, not the reader. "Ourselves" is also plural, but it is first person, meaning the writer's own group; the sentence never puts the writer inside the committee. A quick check: circle the noun the pronoun emphasizes, then ask, "Is it one or many? Is it me/us, you, or them?" Match on both counts. You can also test an intensive pronoun by removing it—the sentence should still make sense, which shows it is only adding emphasis.

Question 9

1. The scientists tested themselves for exposure to the chemical.
2. The scientists themselves reviewed every data point before publishing. (correct answer)
3. The scientists asked themselves whether the results were accurate.
4. The scientists reminded themselves to double-check the equipment.

Explanation: Words ending in -self or -selves can play two very different roles, and this question tests whether you can tell them apart. A reflexive pronoun is necessary to the sentence—it receives the action and refers back to the subject who is doing that action. An intensive pronoun is removable—its only job is to add emphasis, usually to say "this exact person and no one else." A quick test: if you can delete the -self word and the sentence still makes complete sense, it's intensive. Look at "The scientists themselves reviewed every data point before publishing." Cross out themselves and you still have a full sentence: "The scientists reviewed every data point." Nothing is missing—the word simply emphasizes that the scientists, personally, did the reviewing. That's an intensive pronoun. Now test the others. In "The scientists tested themselves for exposure," remove themselves and the sentence loses its object—who did they test? It's reflexive, since the scientists are receiving their own action. The same is true for "The scientists asked themselves whether the results were accurate" (they are the ones being asked) and "The scientists reminded themselves to double-check the equipment" (they are being reminded). In all three, the pronoun is essential, not just emphatic. Study tip: When you spot a -self word, mentally delete it. If the sentence still works, the pronoun is intensive (emphasis); if the sentence breaks, it's reflexive (necessary object). This one deletion test reliably separates the two on writing exams.

Question 10

1. The coach blamed himself for the team's loss.
2. The mayor herself cut the ribbon at the new library's opening. (correct answer)
3. She taught herself how to juggle three balls.
4. They congratulated themselves after winning the trophy.

Explanation: When you see a question about intensive versus reflexive pronouns, remember that both use the same words (myself, herself, themselves), so you can't tell them apart by looking—you have to check their job in the sentence. A reflexive pronoun is essential: it receives the action and points back to the subject as the object. An intensive pronoun is just for emphasis; you could delete it and the sentence would still make complete sense. That's exactly what happens in "The mayor herself cut the ribbon at the new library's opening." The word herself isn't receiving any action—it simply emphasizes that the mayor, personally, did the cutting. Remove it ("The mayor cut the ribbon") and the sentence still works perfectly. That's the signature of an intensive pronoun. The other three are all reflexive because the pronoun is a necessary object. In "The coach blamed himself for the team's loss," himself is what got blamed—delete it and "The coach blamed for the team's loss" falls apart. Same with "She taught herself how to juggle three balls," where herself is the one being taught. And in "They congratulated themselves after winning the trophy," themselves receives the congratulating. In each case, removing the pronoun breaks the sentence's meaning. Your quick test: cover up the -self word. If the sentence still stands, it's intensive (emphasis). If the sentence collapses, it's reflexive (needed as an object). This one trick handles almost every question of this type.

Question 11

1. My brother and myself built the treehouse together in one weekend.
2. My brother and I built the treehouse ourselves in one weekend. (correct answer)
3. My brother and I built the treehouse myself in one weekend.
4. My brother and I built the treehouse yourselves in one weekend.

Explanation: Words like myself, ourselves, and yourselves are intensive pronouns. They add emphasis to a subject that is already named, and they must match that subject. They can never stand in as the subject themselves. The correct revision reads "My brother and I built the treehouse ourselves in one weekend." Here, I properly serves as part of the subject, and ourselves correctly emphasizes the two people who did the work. Now look at the flaws in the others. "My brother and myself built the treehouse together" still uses myself as a subject, which is exactly the error you're supposed to fix. "My brother and I built the treehouse myself" fixes the subject but then uses a singular pronoun, myself, that does not match the plural subject my brother and I. "My brother and I built the treehouse yourselves" uses an intensive pronoun that points to you, not to the people actually named in the subject. A quick test: an intensive pronoun should match the subject in both person and number. Since the subject is my brother and I (we), the matching pronoun is ourselves. Say it aloud and the mismatched versions sound wrong right away.