reflexive pronouns

1. The Concept of Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are a type of pronoun in English used to replace a noun. The pronouns myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves belong to this category, corresponding to different persons in English.

Example:

• I don’t think I can do it by myself, I really could use some help.
• Do it yourself, other people seem to be busy as well.

(You have to do your work yourself, everyone else seems busy too.)

Table of Personal Pronouns and Reflexive Pronouns:

Personal Pronoun	Reflexive Pronoun
I	Myself
You	Yourself/Yourselves (plural)
We	Ourselves
They	Themselves
He	Himself
She	Herself
It	Itself

2. Position of Reflexive Pronouns in a Sentence

Reflexive pronouns typically appear after the verb, after a preposition, after a noun as the subject, or at the end of the sentence.

Reflexive Pronouns After the Verb

Example:

• If you don’t love yourself, you cannot accept love from other people.

Personal	Me	Us	You	It	Her	Him
Reflexive	Myself	Ourselves	Yourself/Yourselves	Itself	Herself	Himself

Reflexive Pronouns After a Preposition

Example:

• Stop putting pressure on yourselves, you guys look really burned out.

Reflexive Pronouns After a Noun

Example:

• Even the teachers themselves cannot solve this Maths problem, it is just too hard.

Reflexive Pronouns at the End of a Sentence

Example:

• This sounds fishy, I’ll investigate this issue myself.

3. How to Use Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns have three main uses corresponding to their position in a sentence:

Reflexive Pronouns as Objects

When the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing, reflexive pronouns can be used as the object after certain verbs.

Example:

• The kids were playing in the backyard and accidentally hurt themselves.

Reflexive Pronouns as Objects of Prepositions

When the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing, reflexive pronouns can follow a preposition and act as its object.

Example:

• He told himself to stay calm and collected.

Reflexive Pronouns to Emphasize the Subject

When reflexive pronouns follow the subject or appear at the end of a sentence, they emphasize the noun acting as the subject.

Example:

• Annie herself cannot understand her husband sometimes.
• Can you believe what I said now that you saw it yourself?