What Is an Intensive Pronoun?

An intensive pronoun is almost identical to a reflexive pronoun, but their functions differ. Intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to the subject or antecedent of the sentence. You’ll usually find the intensive pronoun right after the noun or pronoun it’s modifying, but not necessarily.

The intensive/reflexive pronouns include myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Furthermore, an intensive pronoun is defined as a pronoun that ends in “self” or “selves” and places emphasis on its antecedent.

The Difference Between Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

You can tell the difference between a reflexive pronoun and an intensive pronoun easily: intensive pronouns aren’t essential to a sentence’s basic meaning, whereas reflexive pronouns are.

To differentiate an intensive pronoun from a reflexive pronoun, remove it from the sentence; if it’s an intensive pronoun, the sentence will still make sense. If the sentence no longer makes sense when the pronoun is removed, it’s a reflexive pronoun.

Did you yourself make the cake?

The sentence would still make sense if we removed yourself—“Did you make the cake?” Therefore, yourself is an intensive pronoun in this context. Consider the intensive pronouns in the sentences below:

I myself like a little stroll after dinner.

We went to hear the man himself speak.

The author approved the book cover herself.

8 Steps to Stop a Grammar Troll

You write a great article, and someone comments to point out every typo. You express your opinion in a comment, and someone critiques your writing style. These self-appointed grammar overseers are grammar trolls. What do you do when a grammar troll tests your patience? An angry response often makes the situation worse. If you want them to leave you alone, you will need to shut them down once and for all! Here are eight ways to stop grammar trolls without sinking to their level.

Act as though they are invisible.

Why do grammar trolls pick on your grammar? If their motive is to make you feel bad, reacting angrily only gives them satisfaction. Learn from this Korean proverb: If you kick a stone in anger, you hurt your own foot. Don’t damage your credibility by arguing with unreasonable critics; ignore them! Nine times out of ten, trolls who fail to get a reaction lose interest and move on to their next victim.

Focus on the real problem.

On the other hand, perhaps your grammar troll isn’t trying to be malicious. Some pesky commenters have good intentions, but they lack the tact to express their opinions inoffensively. In that case, carefully prepare a polite response. Let them know that you appreciate their feedback, but the way they express themselves is hurtful. If their hearts truly are in the right place, they might think before they post their next comment. You never know—you might later find their insights valuable once you realize that they came from someone who is trying to help you.

Starve them.

What happens if birds can’t find enough food in one location? They fly off in search of new feeding ground! Trolls are also migratory. They need typos, misspellings, and grammar mistakes to survive. They move from one territory to the next in their search for sustenance. If you proofread carefully enough, your writing can be completely devoid of nutrition for these voracious beasts. You will leave them with no choice but to move on.

Have the first and the last laugh.

Can you look for the humor in the situation? In real life, you might chuckle at yourself if you trip on the sidewalk. Why take your words so seriously? A balanced self-view contributes to emotional health and confidence. Besides, trolls hate when you laugh at them! If they want to embarrass or anger you, your good-natured response will really get their goat! You might say something like, “Ha! I guess that apostrophe got the best of me this time!” To add an extra zing, add a funny gif from a website like giphy.com. You’ll find plenty of options if you search “typo” or “grammar.”

Join the club.

To err is human, right? Everyone, grammar troll or not, has made a mistake at some point in their lives. Ironically, trolls are frequently guilty of making mistakes in their criticisms. Why not give them a taste of their own medicine? Check to see if the trolls are following correct and current practices by consulting a style guide. If you find an inconsistency, link to the resource in your response. It might be just the wake-up call they need.

Tell your biggest buddy.

Grammar trolls often bully those they feel are weaker than themselves. However, you have more control than you might have imagined. For example, did you know that you can disable comments on your blog or block certain users? If it’s not your website, report the bully to the moderator or webmaster. Most moderators of forums, for instance, are willing to remove comments or revoke privileges of abusive community members. Be patient when you make a report. Sometimes moderators need time to gather evidence before permanently banning a user. You can help them by sending screenshots of inappropriate comments made by the offender.

Graciously give thanks.

Look on the bright side: not many things in life are free. Grammar trolls offer proofreading and grammar advice at no cost to you! After all, you can learn a lot from your mistakes. Rather than let disparaging comments get you down, make an honest evaluation of your writing and speech. When someone points out a weakness, research how you can improve. Then, practice what you’ve learned. You might find your grammar troll to be an ugly but beneficial blessing in disguise.

Avoid dark alleys.

Trolls like to hang out in the dark corners of the Internet. If you are selective about where and how you comment online, you might be able to avoid trolls altogether. If you do decide to comment, remember that your exchanges are public. People, even those who don’t go so far as to contact you, will judge what you write and say. If your posts are well thought out and in good taste, readers will respect you even if you don’t always write perfectly.

You can beat a grammar troll without using your fists. Maintain the moral high ground. Trading insults only brings you down to their level. If your responses—should you deign to respond—show respect and good sense, readers will quickly see your intellectual superiority. Sure, you made a boo-boo, but who are the real buffoons?

Simple Present

The simple present is a verb tense with two main uses. We use the simple present tense when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). Depending on the person, the simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end.

I feel great! Pauline loves pie. I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick.

The other is to talk about habitual actions or occurrences.

Pauline practices the piano every day. Ms. Jackson travels during the summer. Hamsters run all night.

Typically, when we want to describe a temporary action that is currently in progress, we use the present continuous: Pauline can’t come to the phone right now because she is brushing her teeth.

How to Form the Simple Present

In the simple present, most regular verbs use the root form, except in the third-person singular (which ends in -s).

First-person singular: I write

Second-person singular: You write

Third-person singular: He/she/it writes (note the ‑s)

First-person plural: We write

Second-person plural: You write

Third-person plural: They write

For a few verbs, the third-person singular ends with -es instead of -s. Typically, these are verbs whose root form ends in o, ch, sh, th, ss, gh, or z.

First-person singular: I go

Second-person singular: You go

Third-person singular: He/she/it goes (note the ‑es)

First-person plural: We go

Second-person plural: You go

Third-person plural: They go

For most regular verbs, you put the negation of the verb before the verb, e.g. “She won’t go” or “I don’t smell anything.”

The verb to be is irregular:

First-person singular: I am

Second-person singular: You are

Third-person singular: He/she/it is

First-person plural: We are

Second-person plural: You are

Third-person plural: They are

How to Make the Simple Present Negative

The formula for making a simple present verb negative is do/does + not + [root form of verb]. You can also use the contraction don’t or doesn’t instead of do not or does not.

Pauline does not want to share the pie. She doesn’t think there is enough to go around. Her friends do not agree. I don’t want pie anyway.

To make the verb to be negative, the formula is [to be] + not.

I am not a pie lover, but Pauline sure is. You aren’t ready for such delicious pie.

How to Ask a Question

The formula for asking a question in the simple present is do/does + [subject] + [root form of verb].

Do you know how to bake a pie? How much does Pauline love pie?

Common Verbs in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I, You, We, They	He, She, It
to ask	ask / do not ask	asks / does not ask
to work	work / do not work	works / does not work
to call	call / do not call	calls / does not call
to use	use / do not use	uses / does not use
to have	have / do not have	has / does not have

The Verb to Be in the Simple Present

Infinitive	I	You, We, They	He, She, It
to be	am / am not	are / are not	is / is not

Check Your Answers for Grammar Skills Test—Starter

So, you want to know what your English grammar level is? You’ve come to the right place. This post will cover the answers and additional learning resources for “Grammar Skills Test—Starter.” The Starter test covers Question formation, verb tense, prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and word order.

Correct answers are highlighted. Links go to additional learning resources to help you continue improving.

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences:

1 ___ can you see? I can see three cats.

• which
• what

Subject(s) Tested: Question words

2 ___ is the sun? It’s in the sky.

• What
• Where

Subject(s) Tested: Question words

3 What __ she see? She can see a plane.

• can
• do

Subject(s) Tested: Question formation

4 Where ___ the students? They’re on the bus.

• is
• are

Subject(s) Tested: Question words, subject-verb agreement

5Are you __ busy?

• a
• an
• No word is needed.

Subject(s) Tested: Article use

6 What punctuation is needed?

Ms Jones went to dinner with Mr and Mrs Brown

• period
• question mark
• exclamation mark

Subject(s) Tested: Punctuation

7Please, call me ___ ten o’clock.

• at
• in
• on
• for
• with

Subject(s) Tested: Common prepositions

8 ___ my stay in New York, I made a few friends.

• During
• At
• On
• While

Subject(s) Tested: Common prepositions

9My uncle ___ in the center of town.

• live
• living
• lives

Subject(s) Tested: Verb conjugation

10What is the correct form of the word?

Are you good at ___ questions?

• write
• writing

Subject(s) Tested: Gerunds

11Select the most natural word order for this sentence.

• He told us an interesting story.
• Us he told a story interesting.
• Us he told an interesting story.
• He told us a story interesting.

Subject(s) Tested: Word order

12The train leaves ___ five minutes. Hurry up!

• at
• on
• in

Subject(s) Tested: Common prepositions

13Last night I went home and _______ TV for an hour.

• heard
• watched
• listened to
• looked at

Subject(s) Tested: Verb use, verb tense

14I love _________ to music.

• listening
• watching
• hearing
• looking

Subject(s) Tested: Gerunds, verb tense

15Which sentence is correct?

• I’m going to make my homework.
• Make the beds.
• I need to remake the task.

Subject(s) Tested: Make/do use

What Does Ikr Mean?

• Ikr stands for I know, right.
• Use ikr to agree with something someone said.

---

While some of the phrases used in text speak originated in that medium, others, like ikr, are adopted from everyday life.

The Meaning of Ikr

Ikr is an abbreviation for the phrase “I know, right.” The phrase first appeared during the early 1990s, and its first uses in electronic communication can be traced back to at least 2004.

The phrase itself has been a pet peeve for some language commentators. The phrase “I know,” on its own, signals that we are aware of something another person is saying, or that we agree with it. According to some critics, adding the word “right” turns the phrase into a question. However, the “right” in “I know, right” is actually just a way of adding emphasis. Using “isn’t it” instead of “right” can also work in a similar way.

How to Use Ikr

Ikr is a little different from I know or yes because it can show that you strongly agree, or that you agree with someone’s disbelief. It can also convey a feeling of relief that someone else shares your feelings about something.

The abbreviation ikr is mostly used in informal communication, especially online or through texting. There’s no need to write it in all caps, although you can if you want to. It’s not written with a comma between the k and the r.

Examples

Jane looks better with shorter hair. Ikr, and the new color suits her well, too.

There’s no chance I’m going to be ready for tomorrow’s quiz. Ikr, Ms. Stevens is too demanding.

He’s such a snob. IKR?!

People shouldn’t be saying “right” after “I know.” Ikr ��