|
The two main uses of -self compounds such as himself, herself, and myself are, first, to serve as a reflexive pronoun when the object of the verb is the same as the subject (He saw himself in the mirror), and, second, to reinforce or emphasize a noun (Jane herself had wanted to go with them). In formal contexts, compounds with -self should not be used simply as alternatives for other pronouns such as him, her, me, and I: It was up to her [not herself] whether she came or not.This is between him and me [not myself]. The plural of -self is -selves, and themself is not acceptable in standard English (see themself).
|