Every language consists of intricacies that are woven uniquely to finally convey the message they intend to convey. In a similar context, the English language has a lot of ‘Parts of speech’ that are important to speak and write effortlessly.
A beginner might get puzzled at the thought of mastering all of them at once. Hence, it is a good strategy to do them one after the other. Once you feel you’ve learned enough about the nuances of the language, you may start taking the advanced concepts to polish your communication skills further and move a step further. Post that, English grammar exercises would act like the best thing since sliced bread
One may know about the main categories, such as Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs, Adjectives, etc. But diving deeper into the types of each ‘part of speech’ seems like a never-ending journey to take. But the reality is otherwise, digging deeper provides you clarity about the various examples and takes one out of the zone of constant errors which one commits here and there for one doesn’t have the idea about the exact use of that particular example. Let’s take an example of Pronouns.
Now, there are numerous pronouns, for example, I, you, he, she, it, myself, yourself, themself, themselves. Without understanding the context of the usage of each of these examples, one may find it difficult to include them in their speech. You may have an idea about ‘Personal pronouns’ and ‘Subject and object pronouns’, but only a few of us know about the other types. One such type is the ‘Emphatic pronouns’.
The name ‘Emphatic pronouns’ itself conveys its usage and context. These pronouns are used to emphasize the noun or pronoun with which it is used. Its major use involves the increased emphasis it puts on the adjoining noun. For example, I myself washed the utensils last night. Here the italicized word ‘myself’ is the Emphatic pronoun as it has put a special emphasis on the adjoined pronoun ‘I’. The aforesaid sentences would have seemed correct even without the usage of ‘myself’, but its addition has put the pronoun ‘I’ on focus.
The next time when you want to stress a particular pronoun or a noun for any action that it has committed, the emphatic pronoun is there to your rescue. You may utilize the following tips and tricks to elevate your way of communication.
-
Use it to emphasize different persons during important speeches or presentations:
Imagine, one has to deliver a presentation about a project titled ‘ Rise of Apple Inc.’, the person may speak about the history of the same and may mention the timeline of Apple from the beginning till now. Once, the person comes to talk about the faces behind the success of the firm, one may mention, “Steve Jobs himself persevered day and night to ensure that Apple touches the sky with glory” or “Tim Cook and his team themselves worked around the clock to ensure that the company keeps on growing”. These sentences include ‘himself’ and ‘themselves’ as examples and always help you to stress the important personalities you talk about in your everyday life or a professional set-up.
-
Make your loved ones feel special by stressing a bit more on their contribution:
There are a lot of occasions when you have to thank the people who’ve had a very special place in your life as they’ve always backed you in all different sorts of tumultuous circumstances. Sentences like, “You yourself were there when everyone else abandoned me”. Or say, one wants to wish his mother on Mother’s Day. One may mention, “I myself want to thank you for everything you yourself have done for me” or “I myself know what a mother’s cushion of solidarity can add up to the life of an individual”. All these sentences include a special emphasis on the person for their contribution. Such usage can always elevate the quality of greetings you share with others.
-
Use these to highlight contrast or contradiction:
When one needs to talk about contrasting or contradictory things in a sentence, emphatic pronouns help to elevate the quality of that contradiction and somewhere stress more upon it. For example, if one wants to mention the contrasting likes and dislikes between two people, he/she can use them in various ways. For example, I like monochromatic patterns but she herself prefers colorful palettes with various motifs. In the same way, a contrast between the two food enthusiasts can be conveyed with the help of the following sentence, ”Tia herself likes balsamic dishes but Mohit despises balsamic dishes.”
-
Be careful about the quantity and the gender of the noun or pronoun:
One thing must be well understood, while utilizing the emphatic pronouns one must remain mindful of the quantity and gender of the noun or pronoun. For example, it is a common tendency among language users they confuse the emphatic pronoun due to a lack of mindfulness about the quantity and gender of the noun or pronoun. One must always use, myself with I, yourself with you, herself/himself with she/he or a name. When it comes to plural, themselves must be employed in the case of the third person plural, they and similarly ourselves must be utilized with the first person plural, we. Keeping this in mind will always save you from getting discombobulated at the last moment.
-
Don’t use them without a requirement:
These pronouns are known as emphatic pronouns for a reason as they’re used to emphasize nouns or pronouns when required. Kindly avoid adding them in every sentence you write or utter. For example, when one speaks about daily routine or habits; there’s no need to use it. If one says, “I myself wake up at 6 am” or “I myself go to the office”; it might sound irrelevant and it’ll give an impression of a lack of knowledge.
-
Perfect practice makes you perfect:
Nothing can be mastered without practice. Hence, practice becomes indispensable to master every skill. As emphatic pronouns are a bit different than the other concepts, they require enormous practice. You may go through English grammar exercises. Grammar exercises online can help you understand the do’s and don’ts while using the emphatic pronouns. Along with this, it is quite important to do verbal interaction to include them in your daily life communication. Start using them to get acquainted with them. You can start watching a multitude of TV shows and movies to get a hang of their usage in your everyday life.
The aforesaid guide of using ‘Emphatic pronouns’ may prove to be super-handy. Ensure regular practice to sound your best. Go through this guide as many times as you need and try to get its gist to speak unhesitantly and fluently.
