"himself" and "by himself"

[trueheart_205]

Can you tell me the difference between "himself" and "by himself" such as in sentences below:
"He cooked the dinner himself"
"He cooked the dinner by himself"
Can I put "himself" in the first sentence at one more position? (such as "He himself cooked the dinner").
and similarly, in the second sentence, can I say "By himself, he cooked the dinner"
Thanks a lot!

 

[5jj]

1. "He cooked the dinner himself"
2. "He cooked the dinner by himself"

In #1, the emphatic 'himself' emphasises that he, not anybody else, cooked the dinner.
In #2, we are explicitly told that he alone cooked the dinner, unaided.

While the constructions are different, the overall meanings are similar.

Can I put "himself" in the first sentence at one more position? (such as "He himself cooked the dinner").

You can, but it seems to add even more emphasis. 'Himself' would be more commonly placed at the end.

... in the second sentence, can I say "By himself, he cooked the dinner"

That does not sound very natural to me.

 

[Rover_KE]

How the heck did trueheart's excellent thread title find the 'Similar Threads' below?

Rover