ourselves

ourselves — pronoun

1. used when 'we' act on the same group that includes the speaker, or when somethin

1.代名詞A2
釋義

used when 'we' act on the same group that includes the speaker, or when something comes back to that group.

例句

We taught ourselves enough Korean to order dinner in Seoul.

teach ourselves + skill

After the map blew away, we found ourselves lost in the hills.

find ourselves + adjective

同義詞
  • us

    the ordinary object form, not the reflexive form

  • each other

    used when members of the group do things to one another, not back to the whole group

文法句型

we + verb + ourselves

we + preposition + ourselves

find ourselves + adjective

用法筆記

Matches subjects such as 'we', 'my friends and I', or 'Maya and we' when the action returns to that same group. It can follow both verbs and prepositions, as in 'we hurt ourselves' and 'we kept the news to ourselves'.

常見錯誤

❌We taught us some Korean before the trip.
✅We taught ourselves some Korean before the trip.
💡use the reflexive form when the subject and object are the same people.
❌Marcus and I blamed us for the delay.
✅Marcus and I blamed ourselves for the delay.
💡after a subject that includes the speaker, use 'ourselves', not 'us', for the reflexive meaning.

2. used to add strong stress to 'we' or 'us', showing that those people and not oth

2.代名詞B1
釋義

used to add strong stress to 'we' or 'us', showing that those people and not others are meant.

例句

We ourselves carried the last boxes into the new apartment.

we ourselves + verb

Not the manager but we ourselves checked every ticket number.

contrast: we ourselves, not others

同義詞
  • personally

    can stress direct involvement, though it is an adverb, not a pronoun

  • we

    the plain subject form without extra emphasis

文法句型

we ourselves + verb

we ... ourselves, not ...

用法筆記

Usually placed right after 'we' for extra force, especially when contrasting our group with other people. Distinguish from sense 3 ON OUR OWN: this sense adds emphasis, but it does not by itself say whether anyone helped us.

常見錯誤

❌Ourselves finished the report before lunch.
✅We ourselves finished the report before lunch.
💡the emphatic form cannot stand alone as the subject.
❌We ourselves fixed the roof' only means 'without help.
✅We fixed the roof ourselves' or 'We ourselves fixed the roof' depending on meaning.
💡sense 2 stresses who did it, while sense 3 adds the idea of no help.

3. with no other people with us, or with nobody helping us do the action.

3.代名詞B1
釋義

with no other people with us, or with nobody helping us do the action.

例句

For two hours, we were by ourselves in the empty office.

by ourselves = alone

No builder came, so we built the chicken coop ourselves.

ourselves = without help

同義詞
  • alone

    stresses that no other people are present

  • independently

    stresses acting without help or control

文法句型

by ourselves

we + verb + ourselves

用法筆記

Often appears in the fixed phrase 'by ourselves' or after a verb such as 'cook', 'build', or 'learn'. Distinguish from sense 2 EMPHASIZING WE: sense 3 adds the idea of being alone or getting no help.

常見錯誤

❌We were ourselves in the house after dark.
✅We were by ourselves in the house after dark.
💡for the meaning 'alone', English normally uses 'by ourselves'.
❌We did the job by ourselves, and John helped all day.
✅We did the job with John's help.
💡'by ourselves' conflicts with the idea that another person helped.

4. kept only for our group to use or enjoy, without sharing it with other people.

4.代名詞B2
釋義

kept only for our group to use or enjoy, without sharing it with other people.

例句

On the train, we had a small table to ourselves by the window.

have + place + to ourselves

After lunch, we finally got the pool to ourselves for an hour.

get + place + to ourselves

同義詞
  • for our own use

    a longer phrase with nearly the same meaning

  • private

    describes something not shared, though it is an adjective

文法句型

have + noun + to ourselves

get + noun + to ourselves

keep + noun + to ourselves

用法筆記

Most often follows 'have', 'get', or 'keep' with a room, table, pool, stretch of time, or another thing that could be shared. Distinguish from sense 3 ON OUR OWN: here the point is private use, not lack of help.

常見錯誤

❌We were by ourselves at the pool all morning.
✅We had the pool to ourselves all morning.
💡'to ourselves' means the pool was not shared; 'by ourselves' only means no one else was with us.
❌The waiter gave ourselves a table near the door.
✅The waiter gave us a table to ourselves near the door.
💡after another person's action, use 'us', then add 'to ourselves' for the private-use idea.