Itself
Definition
Example
"The dog opened the door itself."
"The machine fixed itself after a short pause without any help."
"The plant protects itself from insects by having small thorns on its leaves."
Explanation
Itself is a reflexive pronoun and used to show that the same thing or animal does the action or receives it. For example, the cat cleaned itself, meaning the cat did the cleaning (action), and received the cleaning on its own body (the result applies to itself). It can also show emphasis; for example, the machine fixed itself, meaning it worked without anyone helping, or the robot moved by itself, meaning it did the task alone. It can also mean something happens naturally or automatically without help; it is the way it naturally is, like the spilled water dried up by itself in the sun.