itself
pronoun
uk/ɪtˈself/us/ɪtˈself/A2
used when thesubjectof theverbis "it" and theobjectis the same thing,animal,situation, oridea:
它自己，它本身Thecatlickeditself all over.猫将自己的身体舔了个遍。
You have to do something about theproblem- it isn't just going toresolveitself.你得做点什么了——这个问题不会自行解决的。
B1
used toemphasizethesubjectwhen it is a thing,animal,situation, oridea:
（表示强调）自身，本身Theshopitself(= only the shopand nothingelse)started15yearsago but theinternetsideof thebusinessis new.这家商店15年前就开业了，但互联网业务却是新增的。
(all) by itself
aloneor withouthelp:
自动地；独自地；单独地Theanimalhad beenleftin thehouseby itself for aweek.这个动物被孤零零地留在了房子里一个星期。
Acoughwill usually getbetterby itself.咳嗽一般自己会好的。
(all) to itself
foritsuse only:
只为自己使用地，不公开地Thecommitteekepttheresultsof thesurveyto itself(= did nottellanyone),fearingabadpublicreaction.委员会担心会引发不好的公众反应，因此没有公开调查结果。
- Thecompanyhas made avalianteffortin the last twoyearsto make itself moreefficient.
- Press thisbuttonand thevideowillautomaticallytuneitself to the nextchannel.
- Thekittencurleditself into aball.
- Thegovernmentmustcommititself toimprovinghealthcare.
- Thecityistryingtopromoteitself as atouristcentre.
Linguistics: reflexive forms
- auto
- herself
- himself
- myself
- not be/seem himselfphrase
- oneself
- ourselves
- per se
- reflexive
- self
- themself
- themselves
- thyself
- yourself
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Alone
Grammar
Pronouns: reflexive (myself,themselves, etc.)
Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves. They refer back to the subject forms of personal pronouns (underlined in the example below):…Reflexive pronouns for same subject and object
We often use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object of the verb refer to the same person or thing:…Reflexive pronouns for emphasis
We can use reflexive pronouns for emphasis:…Reflexive pronouns +bymeaningalone
We often use reflexive pronouns with by to mean ‘alone’ or ‘without any help’:…Reflexive pronouns for politeness
We sometimes use reflexive pronouns instead of personal pronouns for politeness, but not as the subject of a clause:…