ENGLISH
REFERENCE

herself

pron.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //hɝˈsɛɫf// UK //hɜːsˈɛlf// her·self General-service

pron. the same female person you just mentioned. You use this word when a woman or girl does something to herself, or to emphasize that she did it alone.

pron. the reflexive form of the third-person singular feminine pronoun. Used as the object of a verb or preposition when the subject and object refer to the same female entity, or as an intensive pronoun for emphasis.


SIMPLE

She bought herself a new book.

CONTEXTUAL

After months of practice, she finally taught herself how to play the piano without any help from a teacher.

COMPLEX

The director herself attended the premiere to address the audience, demonstrating a level of personal commitment that surprised many of the critics present.

Origin

From Middle English. Equivalent to her + -self.

Usage

Functions as a reflexive pronoun or an intensive pronoun. It must agree in gender and number with the feminine singular antecedent.

Pitfall

She made it by her.She made it by herself.When a person performs an action alone, the reflexive pronoun 'herself' is required after 'by', not the object pronoun 'her'.

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