herself

herself — pronoun

1. applies when a female subject performs an action that affects the same person —

1.代名詞A2
釋義

applies when a female subject performs an action that affects the same person — for instance, a girl looking at herself in a mirror or teaching herself a new skill.

例句

Hui looked at herself in the bathroom mirror and smiled.

reflexive: same subject and object

Emily taught herself to play the guitar using online videos.

文法句型

verb + herself

用法筆記

Frequently used with verbs describing daily-care actions (wash, dry, dress, cut) and verbs of mental activity (ask, tell, remind, teach). This sense does NOT work with state verbs such as 'know', 'like', or 'see' (e.g. ❌ 'she knows herself' outside an emphatic context).

常見錯誤

❌She bought a gift for herself and a gift for him.' (correct but ambiguous — could be reflexive or emphatic).
✅Use the emphatic form 'She herself bought a gift…' to stress who did the buying.
💡The reflexive object form requires the subject and object to refer to the same person, which is true here, but learners often confuse when to add emphasis.

2. used to add force to a statement about a particular woman or girl, showing that

2.代名詞A2
釋義

used to add force to a statement about a particular woman or girl, showing that she personally was responsible for something or is the one being referred to and nobody else.

例句

The queen herself opened the new hospital wing last Tuesday.

emphatic: follows a noun for emphasis

Femi met the author of the book herself at the fair.

文法句型

noun + herself

pronoun + herself

用法筆記

The emphatic 'herself' follows a noun (the queen, the manager) or another pronoun (she herself). Remove 'herself' and the sentence stays grammatical but loses its intensity. Distinguish from sense 1 by position: emphatic 'herself' sits right after the noun it modifies, whereas reflexive 'herself' sits in the object slot of a verb.

常見錯誤

❌She herself looked at herself in the mirror.' (both senses in one sentence — grammatically possible but very clunky).
✅She looked at herself in the mirror.
💡Use one sense at a time in simple sentences.

3. describes a situation in which a female person acts with no company or assistanc

3.代名詞A2
釋義

describes a situation in which a female person acts with no company or assistance — she may be physically unaccompanied, or she may complete a task without support from another person.

例句

Tendai's daughter walked to school by herself for the first time.

collocation: by herself = alone or unaided

The old woman lived by herself in a small cottage near the river.

同義詞
  • alone

    emphasises solitude rather than independence; 'she sat alone' feels neutral

  • on her own

    interchangeable with 'by herself' in most contexts; slightly more informal

  • solo

    used for performances or travel; 'she travelled solo across Asia'

反義詞

文法句型

by herself

用法筆記

The phrase 'by herself' can mean either 'alone' (no one else is there) or 'without help' (no one assists). Context usually makes the meaning clear. If you need to be precise, use 'all alone' for solitude or 'on her own' for independent effort.

常見錯誤

❌She sat by herself at the table.' (ambiguous — could mean 'alone' or 'without help').
✅Use context or rephrase: 'She sat alone at the table.
💡Add clarifying context or choose a different phrase when the meaning matters.

4. something reserved for a specific woman or girl's exclusive possession or use, n

4.代名詞B1
釋義

something reserved for a specific woman or girl's exclusive possession or use, not meant to be shared with anyone else.

例句

Each girl in the dormitory has a bathroom of her own.

possessive: of her own / for herself

The director keeps a private office for herself at the back of the building.

同義詞
  • of her own

    equivalent possessive construction; 'a room of her own'

  • private

    adjective that captures the 'not shared' aspect

反義詞
  • shared

    direct opposite of exclusive use

文法句型

for herself

of her own

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed construction 'a [noun] of her own' or '[noun] for herself'. This sense contrasts with sense 3 ('by herself'): sense 3 focuses on doing things alone or unaided, whereas sense 4 focuses on exclusive ownership or dedicated use of a space or object.

常見錯誤

❌She wanted a room for herself alone.' (redundant — 'for herself' already implies exclusive use).
✅She wanted a room for herself.
💡Drop 'alone' as it adds nothing.

5. used to say that a woman or girl does not feel or behave the way she usually doe

5.代名詞B1
釋義

used to say that a woman or girl does not feel or behave the way she usually does, especially because she is upset, stressed, tired, or slightly unwell.

例句

Hui has not been herself since she heard the bad news about her father.

fixed phrase: not herself = uncharacteristic

Mateo noticed that his grandmother was not herself during dinner last night.

同義詞
  • out of sorts

    informal, same meaning; 'she felt out of sorts all day'

  • off

    very informal, shorter form; 'she seemed a bit off today'

反義詞
  • herself

    in the sense of 'back to normal'; 'she is finally herself again'

文法句型

be not herself

seem not herself

feel not herself

用法筆記

Used only in the negative ('not herself'). The positive form ('she is herself') is rare and restricted to very specific contexts. The verb is most commonly 'be', but 'seem', 'feel', and 'appear' also work.

常見錯誤

❌She didn't feel her best.' (different construction — 'not her best' is about performance, not personality).
✅She didn't feel herself.
💡Use 'not herself' for a change in a person's usual mood or behaviour, not for a temporary drop in performance.

6. used in questions and statements about a woman's mental or emotional condition w

6.代名詞B2
釋義

used in questions and statements about a woman's mental or emotional condition when she is suffering from a physical illness or injury — for example, asking whether she feels like her normal self despite the sickness.

例句

Although the fever had gone down, Hui still did not feel herself.

feel herself = feel normal despite illness

The doctor asked whether the patient felt more like herself after the medication.

同義詞
反義詞
  • ill

    the physical state that triggers the condition

  • unwell

    general term for poor health

文法句型

feel herself

feel like herself

用法筆記

This sense is narrower than sense 5 ('not herself'). Sense 5 covers any emotional or physical change from a person's usual state. Sense 6 is specifically tied to physical illness and asks about the person's state of mind during that illness. It often appears in questions ('Is she feeling herself?') and in recovery contexts ('She is beginning to feel herself again').

常見錯誤

❌She didn't feel herself after losing her job.' (correct, but this is sense 5 — a mood change).
✅Use sense 6 only when the trigger is a physical illness or injury: 'She didn't feel herself while she had the stomach flu.
💡Reserve this sense for situations where a physical health problem is the cause.