Emphatic Reflexive Pronouns
B1 Level
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The emphatic word can come after the noun or pronoun, as in The mayor herself opened the library, or near the end of the sentence, as in I baked this cake myself. If you remove the emphatic reflexive, the sentence still works, but it loses emphasis. The sentences include people doing tasks personally, seeing things for themselves, and surprising cases such as Even the teacher himself could not solve it. Always match the emphatic reflexive to the person or thing being emphasised. Position changes emphasis, not agreement, so form matching still matters. That is why the children themselves and the company itself use different forms.
Quick Rule
emphasised noun/pronoun + matching reflexive, or clause + matching reflexive at the end
- 1.The mayor herself opened the new library.
- 2.I did not buy the cake; I baked it myself.
- 3.The children cleaned the house themselves.
- 4.You should see the exhibition for yourself.
- 5.The company itself is responsible for the pollution.
All 20 questions
Complete each sentence with the correct emphatic reflexive pronoun. The reflexive adds emphasis: it means the person did it personally or without help.
The mayor _____ opened the new library in the town centre.
I baked this birthday cake _____. I didn't buy it from a shop.
The children cleaned the entire house _____. Their parents didn't help at all.
Did you paint this picture _____? It's really impressive!
The queen _____ visited the hospital to meet the patients.
We built this garden shed _____. It took us three weekends.
The president _____ announced the new policy on national television.
She designed her wedding dress _____. She's incredibly talented.
You should go there _____ and see what happened.
I _____ have never believed that story. It sounds completely untrue.
The students organised the entire charity event _____.
Even the teacher _____ couldn't solve the maths problem.
We repaired the car _____. We saved a lot of money on mechanic fees.
You all need to see this exhibition for _____. Photos don't do it justice.
The author _____ admitted that the ending of the novel was disappointing.
I wrote every word of this essay _____. I didn't use any AI tools.
The head chef _____ prepared our special anniversary dinner.
She told me the news _____. I didn't hear it from anyone else.
The company _____ is responsible for cleaning up the pollution it caused.
They decorated the entire flat _____ over the Christmas holidays.
Continue Practising
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