Grammar studies/Nouns & pronouns
NOUNS & PRONOUNS / PIECE OF PISS

Reflexive Pronouns

When you do things to yourself - grammatically speaking, you dirty-minded sod!

AT A GLANCESingular:Put it into practice ↗
01 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

When You Do Things to Yourself

Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object of a sentence are the same person or thing. It's like talking to yourself in the mirror, but grammatically correct. These pronouns end in -self (singular) or -selves (plural).

The Complete List:

  • Singular: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself
  • Plural: ourselves, yourselves, themselves
  • Remember: The pronoun must match the subject!
Subject Pronoun Reflexive Pronoun Example
I myself I hurt myself.
you (singular) yourself You should be proud of yourself.
he himself He taught himself guitar.
she herself She bought herself a gift.
it itself The cat cleaned itself.
we ourselves We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
you (plural) yourselves You should help yourselves to food.
they themselves They blamed themselves.
02 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

When to Use Reflexive Pronouns

1. When Subject = Object:

  • "I cut myself while cooking." (I cut me = I cut myself)
  • "She talks to herself when nervous." (She talks to her = herself)
  • "We prepared ourselves for the exam." (We prepared us = ourselves)

2. For Emphasis (By + Reflexive):

  • "I did it by myself." (Without help)
  • "She lives by herself." (Alone)
  • "Did you make this by yourself– (Without assistance)

3. After Prepositions (When Subject = Object):

  • "He's proud of himself."
  • "She's talking to herself."
  • "They're laughing at themselves."
03 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Common Verbs with Reflexive Pronouns

Verb Example Meaning
enjoy We enjoyed ourselves. Had a good time
hurt He hurt himself. Caused injury to self
teach She taught herself Spanish. Learned without a teacher
help Help yourself to cake. Take what you want
behave The children behaved themselves. Acted properly
introduce Let me introduce myself. Tell someone your name
04 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Reflexive vs Regular Pronouns

Know the Difference:

  • Reflexive: "I saw myself in the mirror." (Same person)
  • Regular: "I saw him in the mirror." (Different people)
  • Reflexive: "She bought herself a car." (For herself)
  • Regular: "She bought her a car." (For someone else)
05 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Don't Be a Muppet - Common Mistakes

Wrong:

  • "My brother and myself went shopping." (Use "I" as subject!)
  • "She gave the book to John and myself." (Use "me" as object!)
  • "Himself is very tall." (Can't be subject!)
  • "I need to wash me." (Use "myself"!)

Right:

  • "My brother and I went shopping." (Subject position)
  • "She gave the book to John and me." (Object position)
  • "He is very tall." (Use regular pronoun as subject)
  • "I need to wash myself." (Subject = object)
06 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Special Expressions with Reflexive Pronouns

Useful Phrases:

  • Make yourself at home: "Please, make yourself at home."
  • Help yourself: "Help yourself to some coffee."
  • Enjoy yourself: "Enjoy yourself at the party!"
  • Behave yourself: "Behave yourself in class."
  • By yourself: "Can you do it by yourself–
07 / YOUR TURN

Practice Exercises (Reflect on This!)

Exercise 1: Choose the Correct Reflexive Pronoun

1. I taught how to cook.
2. She looked at in the mirror.
3. We enjoyed at the concert.
4. The cat hurt jumping down.

Exercise 2: Reflexive or Regular Pronoun?

1. He bought a new car. (for himself)
2. She told the news. (told someone else)
3. I need to remind to call mom. (remind me)
4. They invited to the party. (invited other people)
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Brilliant! Now you can talk about yourself with proper grammar!