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Reflexive Pronouns

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.

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."

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

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)

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)

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?"

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!