Himself
'Himself' is a reflexive pronoun that refers to 'he.' In this part, we will go through its uses and grammatical rules in English grammar.
Himslef is known as a reflexive pronoun but here we will learn another function of 'himself' as well.
Functions of 'Himself'
1. 'Himself' as a Reflexive Pronoun
Himself as a reflexive pronoun is used when the subject and the object both refer to the third-person masculine subject. Himself can be the direct object, the indirect object, or the object of a preposition. Himself is also a subject complement. Here are its uses and some examples:
1.1 'Himself' as a Direct Object
Use
Himself as a reflexive pronoun is used to receive the action of the sentence. For example:
John is teaching
'Himself' refers to 'he.'
He loves
Position in a Sentence
Himself as a direct object is placed after the verb. For example:
John is teaching
'Himself' is the direct object and used after the verb.
He loves
1.2 'Himself' as an Indirect Object
Use
Himself as an indirect object is used to show who receives the direct object, so a direct object is needed in a sentence with an indirect object. For example:
Harry is baking
'A cake' is the direct object and 'himself' is the indirect object and shows 'Harry' is the recipient of 'a cake.'
Position in a Sentence
The indirect object is usually used before a direct object. For example:
Harry is baking
'Himself' is an indirect object and 'a birthday cake' is a direct object.
1.3 'Himself' as the Object of a Preposition
Use
Himself is an object introduced by a preposition, the reason why it is called the object of a preposition. For example:
He is making a cake for
He keeps everything to
I think he needs help. He won't be able to carry that many boxes all by
Position in a Sentence
Himself as an object of a preposition is used after the preposition. Look:
He keeps everything to
1.4 'Himself' as a Subject Complement
Use
Himself can be a subject complement and used after the linking verbs to complete the meaning of the subject. For example:
He hasn't been
'Himself' is the subject complement.
Position in a Sentence
Himself as a subject complement comes after linking verbs. For example:
Therapy doesn't always work. He doesn't seem like
'Seem' is a linking verb.
He tries to be
2. 'Himself' as an Emphatic Pronoun
Use
Himself can also be used as an emphatic pronoun. Emphatic pronouns emphasize the doer of the action and once erased from a sentence, the meaning is not affected. For example:
He couldn't have done all of that
He is lazy. He can easily finish the task
Position in a Sentence
Himself as an emphatic pronoun comes either at the end of the sentence or after the subject. For example:
He couldn't have done all of that
'Himself' is at the end of the sentence.
He
'Himself' comes after the subject.
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