for oneself 有两个用法:
1. 自己,亲自。如:
You can judge for yourself. (你可以自己做出判断。)
He demanded the right to decide for himself. (他要求得到自己做决定的权力。)
2. 为自己,替自己。如:
He made no argument for himself. (他没为自己辩论。)
She got an extra weeks holiday for herself. (她为自己多弄到一星期的假。)
He acted without thought for himself. (他那样做的时候并没有考虑到自己。)
by oneself 有三个用法:
1. 单独地,独自地(= alone)。如:
I like to travel by myself. (我喜欢独自旅行。)
She was sitting by herself on a bench. (她独自坐在一条长凳上。)
I often like to spend time by myself. (我平常喜欢独自消磨时间。)
2. 靠自己,无他人帮助(without help)。如:
I studied by myself for an hour.(我自己学习了一个钟头。)
She can mend the fridge by herself. (她能自己修理冰箱。)
I managed to do it by myself. (我是自己做成这件事的。)
3. 自动地(主要用于 by itself,意思相当于automatically)。如:
This is a machine that works by itself. (这是一台自动工作的机器。)
The door opens by itself as you approach[靠近] it. (当你靠近时,门就会自动打开。)
The machine will start by itself in a few seconds.(机器在几秒钟后会自动开启。)