themselves
pronoun
uk/ðəmˈselvz/us/ðəmˈselvz/A2
used when thesubjectof theverbis "they" or agroupofpeople, and theobjectis the samegroupofpeople:
（they 的反身形式）他们自己，她们自己，它们自己Theyaskedthemselves where they had gonewrong.他们在反省自己哪儿出错了。
Did thechildrenenjoythemselves at theparty?孩子们在派对上开心吗？
used foremphasiswhen thesubjectis "they":
（用来强调主语they）They themselves had noknowledgeof what washappening.他们自己对于正在发生的事一无所知。
(all) by themselves
aloneor withouthelpfrom anyoneelse:
（完全）靠他们自己Youngchildrenshould not beleftby themselves.年龄小的孩子不应该没人看管。
Theycollectedtheevidenceall by themselves .他们完全靠他们自己收集的证据。
(all) to themselves
fortheiruse only:
（完全）给他们自己（使用）They had thewholecampsiteto themselves.整个宿营地就只有他们自己。
- Thetroopshad camouflaged themselves soeffectivelythat theenemydidn'tnoticethemapproaching.
- Whenbabiesfirstlearntostand, theyholdon to something tosupportthemselves .
- Did thechildrenbehavethemselves?
- Thechildrenhave tolearntotidyup after themselves .
- Many borrowers nowfindthemselvescaughtin aprecariousfinancialposition.
Linguistics: reflexive forms
- auto
- herself
- himself
- itself
- myself
- not be/seem himselfphrase
- oneself
- ourselves
- per se
- reflexive
- self
- themself
- thyself
- yourself
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:…Idiom
keep tothemselves