themselves

[[t]ðəmse̱lvz[/t]]

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(Themselves is the third person plural reflexive pronoun.)

1) PRON-REFL: v PRON, prep PRON You use themselves to refer to people, animals, or things when the object of a verb or preposition refers to the same people or things as the subject of the verb.

They all seemed to be enjoying themselves...

The men talked amongst themselves...

All artists have part of themselves that they can never share with anyone else.

2) PRON-REFL-EMPH (emphasis) You use themselves to emphasize the people or things that you are referring to. Themselves is also sometimes used instead of `them' as the object of a verb or preposition.

Many mentally ill people are themselves unhappy about the idea of community care...

Cities themselves are changing rapidly...

Care-givers get a chance to socialize with men and women who are in the same position as themselves.

3) PRON-REFL: v PRON, prep PRON You use themselves instead of `himself or herself' to refer back to the person who is the subject of sentence without saying whether it is a man or a woman. Some people think this use is incorrect.

What can a patient with emphysema do to help themselves?...

Nobody was prepared to commit themselves.

4) PRON-REFL-EMPH (emphasis) You use themselves instead of `himself or herself' to emphasize the person you are referring to without saying whether it is a man or a woman. Themselves is also sometimes used as the object of a verb or preposition. Some people think this use is incorrect.

Each student makes only one item themselves...

After all, what more can anyone be than themselves?

5) by themselves → see by