Meaning & use
itself
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Meanings
pronounsingular
Used as the object of a verb or preposition when the thing doing the action is also the thing receiving it.
Grammar: Reflexive form for 'it' or a singular non-human noun: the cat washed itself.
Patterns
- verb itself
- by itself
The cat licked itself clean in the sun.
The machine switches itself off after ten minutes.
The company has put itself in a difficult position.
pronounsingular
Used to stress that you mean that particular thing and not something else.
Grammar: Placed right after the noun or at the end of the clause for emphasis: the house itself was old.
Patterns
- the thing itself
The idea itself is simple; the execution is difficult.
The museum itself was free, but the special exhibit cost extra.
The journey was long, but the destination itself was worth it.
pronounfixed phrase
Used in phrases meaning alone, without help, or in its normal state.
Grammar: Appears in set phrases: by itself, in itself, of itself.
Patterns
- by itself
- in itself
The old clock runs by itself, without winding.
Winning is not a reward in itself.
The problem will not solve itself.
Common combinations
- by itself
- The door closed by itself.
- in itself
- The decision was not wrong in itself.
- history repeats itself
- Some people say history repeats itself.
- present itself
- A good chance may present itself soon.
- speak for itself
- The results speak for themselves, and the data speaks for itself.
Synonyms and how they differ
- himself/herself
- Himself and herself work the same way but refer to a male or female person, while itself refers to things, animals or ideas.
- on its own
- On its own is a more casual way of saying by itself.
- as such
- As such is formal and means in its real nature, similar to in itself.
Word family
- it pronoun
- the thing already mentioned
- its determiner
- belonging to it
- themselves pronoun
- the plural reflexive form
- oneself pronoun
- the general reflexive form for any person
Commonly confused: itself or its? itself or it's?
itself vs its
Its shows possession without an apostrophe, while itself is a reflexive pronoun. Write its tail but the dog hurt itself.
itself vs it's
It's means it is or it has, and is never a possessive.
Practice
The dog hurt ___ while chasing the ball.
Choose one answer.
The dog is both the doer and the receiver, so the reflexive pronoun itself is needed. Its and it's are not pronouns for this role, and themselves is plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “itself”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.