Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[twinspotato]

Hello all,

I've seen many sentences where "...in and of themselves..." is used. How is it different from simply saying "...in themselves..."?

Thanks a lot!

[Mister Micawber]

.
It is a poor way to create emphasis. Such a form also appears with other prepositions, and sometimes for good reason. For instance:

The tree houses were built by and for themselves.
.
_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
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Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's