30. The Compound Personal Pronouns are formed by adding self or selves to certain of the objective and possessive personal pronouns; as, herself, myself, itself, themselves, etc. They are used to add emphasis to an expression; as, I, myself, did it, He, himself, said so. They are also used reflexively after verbs and prepositions; as, He mentioned himself, He did it for himself.

The compound personal pronouns should generally be confined to their emphatic and reflexive use. Do not say, Myself and John will come, but, John and I will come. Do not say, They invited John and myself, but, They invited John and me.

The compound personal pronouns have no possessive forms; but for the sake of emphasis own with the ordinary possessive form is used; as, I have my own book, Bring your own work, He has a home of his own.

31. There are no such forms as hisself, your'n, his'n, her'n, theirself, theirselves, their'n. In place of these use simply his, her, their, or your.

Exercise 13

Write sentences illustrating the correct use of the following simple and compound personal pronouns:

Myself, me, I, them, themselves, him, himself, her, herself, itself, our, ourselves.

Exercise 14

Choose the correct form in the following sentences. Punctuate properly. (See §108):

  1. Yourself you and John were mentioned
  2. She told Mary and me myself to go with her herself.
  3. The book is for you yourself and I me myself.
  4. Henry and I me myself are in the same class.
  5. He thinks you yourself and I me myself should bring the books.
  6. Our friends and we us ourselves are going out to-night.
  7. Herself she and her husband have been sick.
  8. They themselves and their children have gone abroad.
  9. You play the violin better than he himself.
  10. The machine failed to work well, because it itself and the engine were not properly adjusted to each other.
  11. Let them do it theirselves themselves.
  12. He came by hisself himself.
  13. The teacher hisself himself could not have done better.
  14. I'll bring my gun, and you bring your'n yours your own.
  15. That book is his'n his.