Reflexive Pronoun

We use a reflexive pronoun in a sentence to refer back to a subject that has already been identified.

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"Reflexive" means "going back to itself."

Reflexive pronouns show that the action affects the person who performs the action.

They end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).

The reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves. 

A reflexive pronoun is used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject. Reflexive pronouns act as the object of the sentence by receiving the action.



A subject in a sentence is the noun that is performing the action.

• The dog played.

In this sentence dog is the subject


The object of a sentence receives the action.

• The dog played with the ball.

In this sentence, the ball is the object because it is receiving the action.

Summary table

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
I	myself
you (singular)	yourself
you (plural)	yourselves
he	himself
she	herself
it	itself
we	ourselves
they	themselves

Reflexive pronouns always act as the objects, not subjects.

Examples:

• The vase fell off the shelf by itself. 
  
  The subject of this sentence is the vase. The object of this sentence is also the vase (itself).
  

• Sally talks to herself.
  
  Sally is the subject of this sentence. Sally is also the object of this sentence (herself).
  

• Incorrect: Lisa and myself are going to the park.
  
  In this sentence, Lisa and myself are the subjects. Reflexive pronouns cannot be subjects.
  
  
• Correct: I bought myself a piece of pie.
  
  In this sentence I is the subject and myself is the object.
  The reflexive pronoun is correctly used as an object in this sentence.
  

How to use a reflexive pronoun

1. Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same.

Examples:

• He tripped himself. 
  
  
• The cat cleaned itself.
  
  
• Nick bought himself some popcorn.
  
  
• We tried to fix it ourselves.

2. Use a reflexive pronoun as the object of a preposition when the subject and object are the same.

A preposition is a word that is used before a noun to show its connection to another word in the sentence. Here are a few common prepositions:

• with
  
  
• by
  
  
• for
  
  
• from
  
  
• as
  
  
• among
  
  
• to

Examples:

• She is talking to herself.
  
  
• He will go to the party by himself.
  
  
• The boy finished it by himself.
  
  
• We bought gifts for ourselves.
  
  

3. Use a reflexive pronoun to emphasize, or stress, the subject of a sentence.

Examples:

• He will do it himself. (He does not need any help.)
  
  
• They painted the house themselves. (No one else helped them.)
  
  
• The cat hurt itself. (No one else hurt the cat.)
  
  
• My son read the book himself. (My son did not need help to read the book.)
  

More examples of reflexive pronouns

Incorrect: The students completed the work by himself and herself.
Correct: The students completed the work by themselves.

Incorrect: She hurt himself.
Correct: She hurt herself.

Incorrect: We want to go by themselves.
Correct: We want to go by ourselves.

Incorrect: Tim and himself are cleaning the garage.
Correct: Tim is cleaning the garage by himself.


These were the uses of the Reflexive Pronoun. Now that you know them, it is time to practice! Read and do exercises.

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