[ti:Reflexive Pronoun 'Oneself' and 'By Oneself']
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[00:01.64]Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher,
[00:05.28]we will answer a question from Vietnam.
[00:08.68]Dear VOA,
[00:10.68]I am writing because I want to know the difference
[00:14.28]between "oneself" and "by oneself."
[00:19.00]Can you explain it to me?
[00:21.32]Thanks a lot. --Bích Tiên, Vietnam.
[00:26.68]Thank you for your question!
[00:28.72]"Oneself" is a reflexive pronoun.
[00:32.20]A reflexive pronoun describes the subject of a sentence.
[00:37.04]We can use it when the subject and the object
[00:41.44]of the sentence describe the same person.
[00:46.20]Other reflexive pronouns include myself,
[00:50.12]yourself, herself, himself, and themselves.
[00:57.32]"Oneself" is also a third-person singular pronoun,
[01:02.28]like herself or himself, but it does not show gender.
[01:08.80]It can describe a male or female.
[01:14.12]Here is an example with "oneself."
[01:18.20]A selfie is a picture one takes of oneself.
[01:24.76]In this example, the subject of the clause, "one,"
[01:28.76]is taking a picture of "oneself" and no one else.
[01:33.84]We can see "oneself" is describing the subject.
[01:39.96]In American English, "oneself" is formal
[01:44.04]and rarely appears in everyday speech.
[01:47.32]It is mostly used in academic writing.
[01:50.80]Instead of "oneself," most speakers use "yourself"
[01:55.88]when talking about another person directly in informal speech.
[02:02.12]When working from home, one often talks to oneself.
[02:07.72]When working from home, you often talk to yourself.
[02:12.92]And now for "by oneself."
[02:16.08]"By" is a preposition.
[02:18.92]Although it has other meanings,
[02:21.16]when used with a reflexive pronoun,
[02:23.84]it means alone or without help.
[02:28.68]One could carry this television by oneself.
[02:33.60]In this sentence, "One" does not need any help
[02:37.60]to carry the TV. One can do it alone.
[02:43.52]We can rewrite this sentence in everyday speech.
[02:47.60]You could carry this television by yourself.
[02:52.68]Sometimes we use a reflexive pronoun without "by".
[02:58.00]This usage may have the same meaning
[03:01.12]as "by" + reflexive pronoun.
[03:06.36]You could carry the TV yourself.
[03:10.08]I hope these examples have helped you to understand the difference
[03:15.04]with reflexive pronouns and using "oneself!"
[03:19.08]What question do you have about American English?
[03:24.08]Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com
[03:31.76]And that's Ask a Teacher.
[03:34.04]I'm Faith Pirlo.
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