Unit 3.1
Reflexive Pronouns
Introduction
Pronouns are words used to avoid repetitions of a noun {see Subject Pronouns, A1 Level}.
Reflexive pronouns are used to emphasise the subject of the sentence.
Form
Reflexive pronouns can be considered as the combination of possessive adjectives and the word self for singular and selves for plurals.
| Subject Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun |
|---|---|
| I | myself |
| You | yourself |
| He | himself |
| She | herself |
| It | itself* |
| We | ourselves |
| You | yourselves |
| They | themselves |
*(object/animal)
Example
- I managed to find my way around the old city myself (nobody helped me).
- The shop assistant replied to the customer himself.
- The employees shouldn’t blame themselves when clients don’t want to buy a product.
Use
We use reflexive pronouns to express actions where the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing.
In other words the person who performs the action is also the person who is subjected to the action and experiences it.
Summary
Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject of the sentence. We distinguish them by number (-self is singular, -selves is plural) and gender.
They are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves.
For example:
— “I have to prepare myself for the shopping centre.” = Myself refers to the subject (I).
♦ “I have to prepare my clothes and hair for the shopping centre.” = My refers to the object (clothes).
Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.
Exercises
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