Usage of “he himself”
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The boy's innate goodness will withstand the challenges because unless he himself wants to turn evil, [...].
My teacher thinks that commas should set off the word "himself", but I disagree. Who is right, and why?
punctuation pronouns
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
add a comment |
The boy's innate goodness will withstand the challenges because unless he himself wants to turn evil, [...].
My teacher thinks that commas should set off the word "himself", but I disagree. Who is right, and why?
punctuation pronouns
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
3
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33
add a comment |
The boy's innate goodness will withstand the challenges because unless he himself wants to turn evil, [...].
My teacher thinks that commas should set off the word "himself", but I disagree. Who is right, and why?
punctuation pronouns
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
The boy's innate goodness will withstand the challenges because unless he himself wants to turn evil, [...].
My teacher thinks that commas should set off the word "himself", but I disagree. Who is right, and why?
punctuation pronouns
punctuation pronouns
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
edited Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
waiwai933
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
asked Oct 19 '10 at 20:24
waiwai933♦waiwai933
12.3k96085
12.3k96085
'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
3
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33
add a comment |
'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
3
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33
'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
3
3
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
I think a comma would be wrong there.
(Deletes justification on the basis of it being a rearrangement of "he wants himself to turn evil", which is wrong because "he himself wants Fred to turn evil" is just as valid a sentence. At least I realised that before I posted.)
"Himself" here is actually an intensifier rather than a reflexive pronoun (the World Atlas of Language Structures notes that they are often identical). As such it very much belongs with the noun phrase it is intensifying ("He"), and splitting them with a comma would weaken that relationship.
add a comment |
I don't think commas are necessary here, but they could serve to emphasize that phrase.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
add a comment |
The best way to resolve such doubts is the reference to English corpus:
http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/ - AmE, you need to sign up;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ - BrE, you do not need to sign up.
By the way, your teacher was wrong, you don't have to put commas before and after himself:)
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
add a comment |
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3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
I think a comma would be wrong there.
(Deletes justification on the basis of it being a rearrangement of "he wants himself to turn evil", which is wrong because "he himself wants Fred to turn evil" is just as valid a sentence. At least I realised that before I posted.)
"Himself" here is actually an intensifier rather than a reflexive pronoun (the World Atlas of Language Structures notes that they are often identical). As such it very much belongs with the noun phrase it is intensifying ("He"), and splitting them with a comma would weaken that relationship.
add a comment |
I think a comma would be wrong there.
(Deletes justification on the basis of it being a rearrangement of "he wants himself to turn evil", which is wrong because "he himself wants Fred to turn evil" is just as valid a sentence. At least I realised that before I posted.)
"Himself" here is actually an intensifier rather than a reflexive pronoun (the World Atlas of Language Structures notes that they are often identical). As such it very much belongs with the noun phrase it is intensifying ("He"), and splitting them with a comma would weaken that relationship.
add a comment |
I think a comma would be wrong there.
(Deletes justification on the basis of it being a rearrangement of "he wants himself to turn evil", which is wrong because "he himself wants Fred to turn evil" is just as valid a sentence. At least I realised that before I posted.)
"Himself" here is actually an intensifier rather than a reflexive pronoun (the World Atlas of Language Structures notes that they are often identical). As such it very much belongs with the noun phrase it is intensifying ("He"), and splitting them with a comma would weaken that relationship.
I think a comma would be wrong there.
(Deletes justification on the basis of it being a rearrangement of "he wants himself to turn evil", which is wrong because "he himself wants Fred to turn evil" is just as valid a sentence. At least I realised that before I posted.)
"Himself" here is actually an intensifier rather than a reflexive pronoun (the World Atlas of Language Structures notes that they are often identical). As such it very much belongs with the noun phrase it is intensifying ("He"), and splitting them with a comma would weaken that relationship.
answered Oct 20 '10 at 14:30
user1579
add a comment |
add a comment |
I don't think commas are necessary here, but they could serve to emphasize that phrase.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
add a comment |
I don't think commas are necessary here, but they could serve to emphasize that phrase.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
add a comment |
I don't think commas are necessary here, but they could serve to emphasize that phrase.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
I don't think commas are necessary here, but they could serve to emphasize that phrase.
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
answered Oct 19 '10 at 20:30
ClaudiuClaudiu
7,546155481
7,546155481
add a comment |
add a comment |
The best way to resolve such doubts is the reference to English corpus:
http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/ - AmE, you need to sign up;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ - BrE, you do not need to sign up.
By the way, your teacher was wrong, you don't have to put commas before and after himself:)
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
add a comment |
The best way to resolve such doubts is the reference to English corpus:
http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/ - AmE, you need to sign up;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ - BrE, you do not need to sign up.
By the way, your teacher was wrong, you don't have to put commas before and after himself:)
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
add a comment |
The best way to resolve such doubts is the reference to English corpus:
http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/ - AmE, you need to sign up;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ - BrE, you do not need to sign up.
By the way, your teacher was wrong, you don't have to put commas before and after himself:)
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
The best way to resolve such doubts is the reference to English corpus:
http://corpus2.byu.edu/coca/ - AmE, you need to sign up;
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/ - BrE, you do not need to sign up.
By the way, your teacher was wrong, you don't have to put commas before and after himself:)
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
edited yesterday
Community♦
1
1
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
answered Jan 20 '14 at 13:08
AgaAga
11
11
add a comment |
add a comment |
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'because unless'... what? Either the word "because" is unnecessary, or there needs to be more to the sentence.
– Marthaª
Oct 19 '10 at 20:37
[...] continues it
– Claudiu
Oct 19 '10 at 20:39
3
Not getting into "he himself", there should definitely be a comma after because: "unless he himself wants to turn evil" is interrupting the clause beginning with because
– Kosmonaut
Oct 19 '10 at 22:33