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Intensive pronoun

Grammar
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A pronoun that emphasizes or intensifies another noun or pronoun

Detailed Definition
Intensive pronoun is a reflexive pronoun used for emphasis rather than to indicate the subject acting upon itself (e.g., “I myself saw it” vs. “I saw myself”); in poetry, such pronouns heighten agency, authenticity, or isolation—“She alone endured”—adding rhetorical weight and psychological focus by foregrounding the speaker’s or subject’s singular presence amid broader contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”: “Myself I will be my own jailer” uses intensive pronoun for emphasis; Emily Dickinson’s “I’m Nobody! Who are you?” uses “myself” to assert identity; Sylvia Plath’s “Daddy” uses “myself” in “I made a model of you” for psychological intensity; Contemporary poet Ocean Vuong uses “myself” in “Someday I’ll Love Ocean Vuong” for self-reclamation; Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” uses “myself” to emphasize personal choice; Lucille Clifton’s “blessing the boats” uses “yourself” as intensive pronoun for empowerment.
Additional Notes
A pronoun emphasizing its antecedent (myself, herself, itself). In poetry, creates emphasis or reflexive meaning. Distinguish from reflexive pronouns in action contexts. Can add formality or dramatic weight to a line.
Also Known As
Emphatic pronoun Reflexive intensifier Self-emphasis word Myself-construction
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