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Why "itself" stands alone: unpacking a common mistake

Reviewed and edited by

Anwar Kareem 01/10/2024, 04:17

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

It self or itself. What's correct?

It's a spacing and compound word error.

Why do people make this mistake?

People might mistakenly add a space due to misunderstanding "itself" as two separate words or due to a lack of familiarity with compound pronouns.

What is correct?

"Itself" is the correct form because it is a compound pronoun that is used to emphasize the subject.

Examples of correct usage

The cat cleaned itself.
The machine operates by itself.
She painted the room herself.

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