To be the one, himself

Question

Hello,

I would like to know if these are gramatically correct, and if the use of himself / herself in sentence C can convey the same (or similar) message as in sentence D.

Thanks in advance.

A. I am the one who wrote the letter.

B. It was I who did it. (Formal)

C. It is the doctor himself/herself that will give you a diagnosis.

D. It is the doctor the one that will give you a diagnosis.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

Nature05A. I am the one who wrote the letter.

Correct. Natural.

Nature05B. It was I who did it. (Formal)

Correct. Very formal. So formal, in fact, that you will probably not hear it more than once every five years. Virtually nobody says it.

Nature05
C. It is the doctor himself/herself that will give you a diagnosis.
D. It is the doctor the one that will give you a diagnosis.

D is not grammatical. It should be one of the following:

It is the doctor who will give you a diagnosis
The doctor is the one who will give you a diagnosis.

As for whether C and D are equivalent, no. C says that the doctor and no one else will give the diagnosis. D says who will give the diagnosis without any emphasis that he and he alone (i.e., no one else) will give it.

So even with D, to add that extra bit of meaning you need to add himself/herself, e.g., The doctor himself/herself is the one who will give you a diagnosis.

CJ

To be the one, himself

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