himself
- 01 A2 Elementary
you use this when the man or boy doing the action is also the one receiving the action.
the reflexive form of 'he', used as the object of a verb or preposition when it refers to the same person as the subject.
Simple“He cut himself while he was cooking dinner last night.”
In context“The protagonist often found himself caught between his professional obligations and his personal desire for a quiet life in the countryside.”
PitfallHe looked at him in the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror.Use 'himself' when the person doing the action and the person receiving it are the same.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a way to refer to the most important man in a place, like a boss or a husband.
used as a subject or object to refer to the master of a house, a husband, or a person of high status.
Simple“Is himself at home, or has he gone out to the farm?”
In context“The staff waited in silence for himself to arrive, knowing that the meeting could not proceed without the master's final approval.”
UsageCommon in Irish English and some British dialects to refer to the head of a household.
Synonymsthe masterthe boss
Usage himself from the memoir
From Middle English hymself, from Old English him selfum. Equivalent to him + -self.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.