By myself or myself?

Question

Hello.Recently I really became to doubt about the difference of it."Do it yourself/by yourself""I wrote a letter myself/by myself""Did you read this book yourself/by yourself for real?"Thanks.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

The meanings are similar.

Little Ivan is four years old. He just learned how to tie his shoes and he is learning to read.

I ask him, "Who tied your shoes?"

He says, "I did it myself." (I did it. I am proud that I was able to do it. Mom did not do it for me. )

"I did it by myself." (I did not need anyone to help me.)

When someone is telling me about a book, I might think they just read about the book in a review, or heard about it from friends. I ask:

"Did you read this book yourself?"

I ask little Ivan, who is just learning to read:

"Can you read this book by yourself?"

I'm asking if his mom helps him to read it or if he can read it without assistance.

CalifJim · Answer

To do something yourself is for you to do it, and not someone else.

- Can you make a sandwich for me?

- Do it yourself! (You do it; I'm not going to do it.)

You probably would not say Do it by yourself here.

This is also a way of showing that you, too, did something.

- I wrote a letter to the mayor to complain about this.

- What a coincidence! I wrote a letter myself. (I too wrote a letter.)

You definitely would not say I wrote a letter by myself here.

To do something by yourself or all by yourself is for you to do it without help from someone else. by or all by can usually be omitted, but then the sense of doing it without help is weakened.

- That's a big book for a six-year-old to read. Did you read it by yourself?

- Yes, I did. I read it all by myself.

- Mom? Can you help me tie my shoes?

- Don't you want to try to tie them by yourself first?

To be somewhere by yourself is to be alone.

I sat there by myself for an hour before the doctor called me into his office.

CJ

By myself or myself?

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