What is Reflexive Pronoun? Definition, Examples, & Worksheets

What is a Reflexive Pronoun?

In simple language reflexive pronoun is a word which is used to refer back to the subject of the sentence to show that the subject is acting on itself. Or more simply, indicating that the subject is receiving the action, as well as performing it. For example, “I taught myself to play the guitar.” Here, “I” is the subject and “myself” refers back to “I”.

These are the words that end in -self or –selves like myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, and ourselves, which take the place of a subject and the object pronoun in a sentence. In addition to that, they are mainly used in sentences when the subject and the verb are the same.

For example, “I taught myself how to dance” Here ", I" and "myself" are the same person. So, the subject and object are the same.

Definition of a Reflexive Pronoun

The definition of reflexive pronoun differs according to various dictionaries. However, some of the renowned ones, like the Cambridge dictionary, define it as “Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves. They refer back to the subject forms of personal pronouns.” Similarly, the Merriam Webster dictionary defines this as “A pronoun referring to the subject of the sentence, clause, or verbal phrase in which it stands.”

Examples of a Reflexive Pronoun

• She looked at herself in the mirror.
• They prepared themselves for the exam.
• He hurt himself while playing football.
• We introduced ourselves to the new neighbors.
• You should take care of yourself.

Types of Reflexive Pronouns with Examples

Depending on who or what is being referred to in the sentence, there are three types of reflexive Pronoun. Additionally, it is also divided based on two major factors. First, the person (First, second, third) and secondly on number (singular or plural).

Below are the types and reflexive pronoun examples, which will help you grasp the concept of the action reflecting on the subject.

Singular Reflexive Pronouns

The reflexive pronoun is considered singular when we refer to one thing or a person. Some of the most common singular reflexive pronouns are:

1. Myself: We use this when the speaker is referring back to the themselves. For example:

• I made the entire meal myself.
• I found myself getting emotional during the movie.
• I introduced myself to the new manager.
• I bought myself a gift for finishing the project.
• I reminded myself to stay calm in stressful situations.

2. Yourself: We use this with you in singular and to speak to one person about their own actions. For example:

• You should take care of yourself when you're sick.
• Did you hurt yourself while lifting that box?
• You need to trust yourself more.
• You surprised yourself with how well you did.
• Please make yourself at home.

3. Himself: We use this to refer back to the male subject. For example:

• He taught himself how to play the guitar.
• He blamed himself for the accident.
• He introduced himself confidently.
• He prepared himself for the speech.
• He injured himself during the game.

4. Herself: We use this to refer back to the female subject. For example:

• She designed the dress herself.
• She reminded herself of the meeting.
• She found herself lost in thought.
• She taught herself French in just six months.
• She blamed herself for forgetting the appointment.

5. Itself: This is used to refer back to a non-human subject like animal, machines, or object. For example:

• The cat cleaned itself after eating.
• The company rebranded itself last year.
• The machine shut down itself after overheating.
• The software updated itself overnight.
• The clock fixed itself after the power came back.

Plural Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun is plural when we use it to refer to more than one person or thing. Some of the most commonly used plural reflexive pronouns are:

1. Ourselves: This is generally used by a group including the speaker to refer back to their experience or actions. For example:

• We treated ourselves to a nice dinner after the presentation.
• We taught ourselves how to code using online courses.
• We reminded ourselves to stay positive during tough times.
• We found ourselves in a completely new environment.
• We congratulated ourselves on a job well done.

2. Yourselves: We use this to address more than one person about the actions they do for themselves. For example:

• You should prepare yourselves for tomorrow’s exam.
• Did you all enjoy yourselves at the party?
• Please help yourselves to some refreshments.
• You need to ask yourselves what matters most.
• You can handle this challenge yourselves—I believe in you.

3. Themselves: This is used when we talk about a group of people or things that are doing something for or to themselves. For example:

• They blamed themselves for the mistake.
• The kids made themselves a snack after school.
• They taught themselves how to play instruments.
• The workers organized themselves without a manager.
• They found themselves lost in the unfamiliar city.

The Word “Themself”

Lastly, themselves, this is a special case because we don’t traditionally consider it in standard English as one of the types of reflexive Pronoun. However, it is increasingly getting accepted in modern English as well as inclusive language. There are two main purposes of using "Themself":

• Informal or Nonstandard Usage: This appears as a singular alternative to “themselves.” For example, “The committee will decide for themself" here, we are treating "committee" as a singular collective noun.
• Gender-Neutral or Nonbinary Usage: We also use they as a singular in current inclusive English when the gender is either irrelevant or unknown. An example of reflexive pronoun in gender neutral is “The child sat quietly by themself"; here, the gender of the child is not specified or is irrelevant.

How are Reflexive Pronouns Used in Sentences?

There are four key uses of reflexive pronouns. These are primarily based on the subject and the object of the sentence structure, and are used to avoid repetition and add clarity.

1. When the subject is the same as the object: One of the most common use of this pronoun is to show that the action of the verb is being is directed back to the subject, i.e. the subject, which is doing the action is same as the object, the person receiving the action.

For example, “She taught herself French” Here “, She” is both the teacher and the learner. However, if we say “She taught Clara French,” then we are not using a reflexive pronoun as we are talking about two different people.

2. With “by” to show someone is alone: Another use reflexive is with the word “by”, which is used to show that someone is by themselves or alone. For example, “I’m going to visit Erin. She’s all by herself in the restaurant.”

3. With "by" to show someone did something without help: Similarly, we also use reflexive pronouns with “by” to show that an action was done by someone without any assistance or guidance. For example, “Jack managed the event all by herself.” Here, the new word “all” is used to make the meaning a little stronger.

4. To emphasize the subject: Lastly, we also use this pronoun to either highlight or stress who did something. For example, “I got a like on Instagram from Mr. Trump himself.”

Now that we understand the uses of this pronoun, let’s see the difference between reflexive and emphatic pronoun, as they are somewhat similar.

Reflexive Vs. Emphatic Pronouns

Even though the reflexive and emphatic pronouns are similar in spelling as well as pronunciation, they both play different roles in grammar. In addition to that, they both use similar pronouns like myself, yourself, himself, etc, in completely different ways.

However, even though they are mostly similar, a major difference between reflexive and emphatic pronoun is that the emphatic pronoun is used to put emphasis or stress on a noun or a pronoun.

For example, “She herself prepared the meal.” Here, the pronoun emphasizes who prepared the meal.

Reflexive Vs. Reciprocal Pronouns

Another pronoun that most new English learner gets confused reflexive pronoun with is the reciprocal pronoun. Even though they both look the same, their use case is different. For example, reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and object are the same.

Whereas, we use reciprocal pronouns like each other, one another, to show a mutual action that happened between two or more people. For example, “They helped each other with homework” Here, two people are doing something for one another.

Common Mistakes to Avoid with Reflexive Pronouns

Even though reflexive pronouns are useful, most people end up using them incorrectly. To avoid such a situation, below are some common mistakes you can watch out for to use this pronoun correctly in a sentence.

1. Using a Reflexive Pronoun Instead of a Regular Object Pronoun

The first common mistake that most students make is to use the reflexive pronoun as a subject and to sound more formal. This, however, is wrong when the subject and object are not the same.

• Incorrect: John gave the book to myself.
• Correct: John gave the book to me.

2. Using a Reflexive Pronoun as the Subject

In addition to the above, the reflexive pronouns can’t be the subject of a sentence. As we use it as objects of a verb or the object of a preposition.

• Incorrect: Myself will handle it.
• Correct: I will handle it.

3. Overusing Reflexive Pronouns for Emphasis

In most cases, a reflexive pronoun is not necessary if the action is directed at the subject.

• Incorrect: He himself, he went to the shop himself, by himself.
• Correct: He went to the shop by himself.

4. Mixing Up Reflexive and Relative Pronouns

The reflexive and relative pronouns look and sound similar. However, they both play different roles. Relative pronouns (like who, which, that) are used to connect a clause to a noun.

• Incorrect: The woman herself lives next door. (when trying to add a description)
• Correct: The woman who lives next door is kind.

Reflexive Pronoun Exercises with Answers

Now that you have a better understanding of how this pronoun works, below is a reflexive pronoun worksheet to help you test your understanding.

Exercise 1

In this exercise, you have to fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronoun.

1. I looked at __________ in the mirror before leaving.
2. She taught __________ how to bake a cake.
3. Be careful with that knife, or you’ll hurt __________.
4. We enjoyed __________ at the party last night.
5. The cat cleaned __________ after eating.
6. They built the treehouse all by __________.
7. Did you guys make this project by __________?
8. He introduced __________ to the new classmates.
9. You should be proud of __________ for trying so hard.
10. My sister and I prepared the meal __________.

Answer Key:

• myself
• herself
• yourself
• ourselves
• itself
• themselves
• yourselves
• himself
• yourself
• ourselves

Exercise 2

In this exercise of our reflexive pronoun worksheet, you have to read each sentence carefully. Some sentences are correct, and some have mistakes with reflexive pronouns. Identify them and correct the incorrect ones.

1. James washed myself after the game.
2. We made the decorations ourselves.
3. She told himself to stay calm.
4. Did you paint that picture yourself?
5. The dog chased themselves around the yard.
6. I cooked dinner by myself.
7. They taught herself how to play the piano.
8. You and Tom should behave yourselves.
9. The baby fed himself with a spoon.
10. I fixed the bike for myself.

Answer Key:

• Incorrect: James washed himself after the game.
• Correct.
• Incorrect: She told herself to stay calm.
• Correct.
• Incorrect: The dog chased itself around the yard.
• Correct.
• Incorrect: They taught themselves how to play the piano.
• Correct.
• Correct.
• Correct.

Conclusion

To sum up, the reflexive pronoun is an important part of improving your English language proficiency. Without it, the sentences can get ambiguous or less clear. Hence, in our blog above, we talked about everything related to this pronoun, including the difference between reflexive and emphatic pronoun as well as reciprocal pronouns.

However, if you want to enhance your understanding of English, then you can connect with our experts at Gradding.com. They will provide you with extensive resources, tips, and tailored guidance to improve your proficiency.

FAQ’s

What is a Reflexive Pronoun and an Example?

A reflexive pronoun is used to refer back to the subject of the sentence and to show that the subject and object are the same. For example, “She taught herself to swim.”

What are the 10 Examples of Reflexive?

The main 10 examples of reflexive pronoun are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves, and in modern usage, themself and oneself.

What is a Reflexive in Grammar?

In grammar, a reflexive pronoun is used when the subject does something to itself. It "reflects" the action back to the subject. For example, “They blamed themselves.”

Are there 10 Reflexive Pronouns?

Traditionally, there are only 8 reflexive pronouns in English. However, themself and oneself are now commonly accepted, which brings it to the total of 10 in modern usage.