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What are reflexive pronouns?

How to use reflexive pronouns in sentences?

Intensive pronouns vs reflexive pronouns

What are reflexive pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. They end in "-self" for singular forms and "-selves" for plural forms. Reflexive pronouns emphasize that the subject performs the action on itself. The singular forms are: myself (I), yourself (you), himself (he), herself (she), and itself (it). The plural forms are: ourselves (we), yourselves (you), and themselves (they).

How to use reflexive pronouns in sentences?

We use reflexive pronouns like myself, yourself, himself, and herself when the person doing an action and the person receiving the action are the same. For example, when you make or do something without the help of somebody else.

Reflexive pronouns in sentences
Subject Reflexive pronoun Sentence
I myself I made a sandwitch myself yesterday.
You yourself Did you take the photo yourself.
He himself He cut himself while shaving.
She herself She did everything by herself.
It itself I think my computer is broken. Sometimes, it turns off by itself.
We ourselves We cooked dinner for ourselves.
You yourselves You should try to solve the puzzle yourselves.
They themselves The dogs entertained themselves with toys.

 

  1. I made this cake myself.
  2. She prepared the entire banquet herself.
  3. We built this company ourselves.
  4. He painted the portrait himself.
  5. You should be proud of yourself.
  6. They organised the event themselves.
  7. He fixed the car himself.
  8. She learned to play the piano herself.
  9. I cooked dinner myself last night.
  10. You solved the problem yourself, didn't you?
  11. They asked themselves what went wrong.

We can add by before reflexive pronouns to emphasise that an action is being done independently or alone.

  1. She lives by herself.
  2. Did you do the homework by yourself?
  3. I don’t think he wrote the book by himself?
  4. She travelled around the world by herself.
  5. Can you complete the project by yourself?
  6. He prefers to dine by himself.
  7. Do you enjoy going to the cinema by yourself?
  8. She painted the entire house by herself.
  9. He learned these skills by himself.
  10. Did they build the company by themselves?
  11. Can you handle this situation by yourself?

Intensive pronouns vs reflexive pronouns

Myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves are also called intensive pronouns. However, intensive pronouns are used to emphasise the subject of the sentence. An intensive pronoun can be removed without changing the meaning of the sentence, whereas a reflexive pronoun cannot.

Intensive pronouns vs reflexive pronouns
Subject Reflexive pronoun Intensive pronoun
I I went there myself. I myself went there.
You You were there yourself as well. You yourself were there as well.
He He did the hard work himself. He himself did all the hard work.
She Did she write the letter herself? Did she herself write the letter?
It The cat injured itself while trying to climb the tall fence. The cat itself got injured while trying to climb the tall fence.
We We couldn’t do everything ourselves. We ourselves couldn’t do everything.
You Don’t blame yourselves for what happened. You yourselves are to blame for what happened.
They The thieves surrendered themselves to the police. The thieves themselves surrendered to the police.

 

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