themselves

"Themselves" is a special word known as a reflexive pronoun. Think of it like a mirror or an echo in a sentence—it refers back to whoever or whatever is performing the action. It essentially says, "They did something… to themselves."

You use "themselves" when the people (or things!) performing an action are also the ones receiving that action. For example, if a group of friends built a treehouse by themselves, it means they did all the work without outside help. Similarly, if a group accidentally hurt themselves while playing, they are both the ones who caused the injury and the ones who felt it. It's also increasingly common to use "themselves" to refer to a single person in a gender-neutral way, such as saying, "Someone left their umbrella and should come back for it themselves."

"Themselves" is primarily a reflexive pronoun, meaning its main job is to point back to the subject of the sentence. It is used when the subject both performs and receives the action. While this might sound technical, we use it every day to make our meaning clear!

Think of the difference between these two sentences: "They blamed them" versus "They blamed themselves." In the first, one group is pointing the finger at a different group. In the second, the group is taking responsibility for their own mistake. Without "themselves," we wouldn't know the action was "bouncing back" to the source. Common examples include "The children dressed themselves" or "The players prepared themselves for the big game."

Beyond its reflexive use, "themselves" is also used for emphasis, often called the intensive use. Even if it isn't strictly necessary for the sentence's grammar, it adds a layer of stress or importance. For instance, "The directors themselves attended the meeting" highlights that the leaders were there in person rather than sending assistants. In "The children made the costumes themselves," it emphasizes that they did the work on their own.

Finally, "themselves" acts as the reflexive form of the singular "they." If you are speaking about a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant, you might say, "Whoever is responsible needs to explain themselves." Whether referring to a crowd or an individual, "themselves" is the linguistic tool that connects the actor and the receiver into one neat package.