State whether the compound personal pronouns used in the following sentences are reflexive or emphatic.

1. I completed the work myself.

2. The poor widow killed herself.

3. He punished himself.

4. He himself told me about it.

5. You yourself know better than anybody else.

6. We ourselves saw the tiger.

7. You must blame yourself for the loss.

8. They themselves admitted that they were wrong.

9. She did not recognize herself.

10. She herself does not remember anything about the episode.

Answers

1. I completed the work myself. (Myself – emphatic; it emphasizes the pronoun I)

2. The poor widow killed herself. (Herself – reflexive; it acts as the object of the verb killed.)

3. He punished himself. (Himself – reflexive; it acts as the object of the verb punished)

4. He himself told me about it. (Himself – emphatic; it emphasizes the pronoun he)

5. You yourself know better than anybody else. (Yourself – emphatic; it emphasizes the pronoun you)

6. We ourselves saw the tiger. (Ourselves – emphatic; it emphasizes the pronoun we)

7. You must blame yourself for the loss. (Yourself – reflexive; it acts as the object of the verb blame.)

8. They themselves admitted that they were wrong. (Themselves – emphatic; it merely emphasizes the pronoun they.)

9. She did not recognize herself. (Herself – reflexive; it acts as the object of the verb recognize)

10. She herself does not remember anything about the episode. (Herself – emphatic; it emphasizes the pronoun she)