Writeacher, Can you please check these sentences. I urgently need to know the difference in meaning among the various sentences.
1) She often makes herself pasta.
(= She often makes pasta for herself)
She often makes pasta herself.
(= She often makes pasta personally)
She often has lunch by herself.
She often has lunch on her own.
2)They are teaching themselves how to use the new computer. (Does it mean "They are learning how to use the new computer programme")
3) Her boyfriend himself wants to give her the good news (personally?)
4) Is it possible "Her boyfriend wants to give her the good news himself (? what it the meaning?)
5) I wash and dress and then I have breakfast. (I wash myself and dress myself is a mistake?)
1) She often makes herself pasta.
(= She often makes pasta for herself)
She often makes pasta herself.
(= She often makes pasta personally)
She often has lunch by herself. = She often has lunch on her own.
Yes, all are correct.
2)They are teaching themselves how to use the new computer. (Does it mean "They are learning how to use the new computer programme")
I take this to mean they got a new computer and are learning how to use it and all the programs on it.
3) Her boyfriend himself wants to give her the good news (personally?)
That's pretty awkward. It's not incorrect, just not smooth. I'd delete "himself" and put "personally" at the end.
4) Is it possible "Her boyfriend wants to give her the good news himself (? what it the meaning?)
Yes, that's good. It means he doesn't want anyone else to give her the news.
5) I wash and dress and then I have breakfast. (I wash myself and dress myself is a mistake?)
You don't need "myself" anywhere in that sentence. The assumption is that you are taking care of yourself unless you name someone else. Example, I wash and dress my son, and then I have breakfast.
1) In the first sentence, "She often makes herself pasta," it means that she frequently prepares pasta for herself. The emphasis is on the action of making pasta specifically for her. In the second sentence, "She often makes pasta herself," the emphasis is on the fact that she personally makes the pasta without any assistance. The focus is more on her being the one who makes it rather than who it is made for. In the third sentence, "She often has lunch by herself," it means that she frequently eats lunch without anyone else present. The emphasis is on her being alone during the meal. In the fourth sentence, "She often has lunch on her own," it means the same thing as the previous sentence, that she frequently eats lunch without the company of others.
2) The sentence "They are teaching themselves how to use the new computer" means that they are learning how to use the new computer without any formal instruction. They are taking it upon themselves to acquire the knowledge and skills required to use the computer, possibly through self-study or experimentation.
3) In the sentence "Her boyfriend himself wants to give her the good news," the inclusion of "himself" emphasizes that her boyfriend personally wants to be the one to deliver the good news. It suggests that he wants to play a direct and active role in sharing the news with her, rather than having someone else deliver it on his behalf.
4) The sentence "Her boyfriend wants to give her the good news himself" conveys the same meaning as the previous sentence. It indicates that her boyfriend wishes to personally deliver the good news to her, without involving any intermediary or third party.
5) In the sentence "I wash and dress and then I have breakfast," the use of "I wash and dress" implies that you are performing these actions on yourself. It is not necessary to explicitly state "I wash myself and dress myself" because in this context, it is understood that you are doing these activities to yourself.