The Reflexive Pronouns are used to indicate that the reflex action lies with the person himself.In this case, the pronoun comes after the verb and agrees with the subject. These pronouns are characterized by the self(singular) and selves (plural).For each pronoun Personal ( Personal Pronoun ) there is a reflexive pronoun ( Reflexive Pronoun ).
Reflective pronouns can be used to express:
1- Reflexive Action:
the action of the verb falls on the subject itself.
I cut myself . (I cut myself).
She combs herself . (She combs herself).
After eating, the cat cleans itself . (After eating, the cat cleans itself).
They burned themselves on the fireplace . They burned in the fireplace.
2- Emphatic function:
the pronoun must match what is emphasized.
He himself built his house . (He built this house himself).
They themselves fixed the dishwasher . (They fixed the washing machine themselves).
We ourselves made this surprise to you. We prepared this surprise for you.
I cut myself the cake . I cut the cake myself.
3 – Idiomatic function:
it is intended to inform that the subject practiced the action alone, without the help of anyone. In this case, the reflexive pronoun must be preceded by “by”.
We did our homework by ourselves . We did our homework alone.
Bob made this folder by himself . (Bob prepared this pasta alone).
She cleaned the house by herself . She cleaned the house by herself.
They painted the house by themselves . They painted the house without the help of anyone.
Below is a table with all Reflexive Pronouns.
| Reflexive Pronouns | |
| 1st person singular | Myself |
| 2 nd person singular | Yourself |
| 3rd person singular | Himself |
| 3rd person singular | Herself |
| 3rd person singular for animals and objects | Itself |
| 1st person plural | Ourselves |
| 2nd person plural | Yourselves |
| 3rd person plural | Themselves |
I can provide information about reflexive pronouns, their functions, and examples in a tabular format.Reflexive Pronouns: Functions and Examples
| Reflexive Pronoun | Function | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Myself | To indicate the subject performs the action on itself | “I prepared the meal myself.” |
| Yourself | Used when the subject and the object of the action are the same (in singular) | “Did you make this cake yourself?” |
| Himself | Used for emphasis or to show an action performed on the subject itself (for male subjects) | “He drove himself to the hospital.” |
| Herself | Indicates the female subject of the sentence performs the action on herself | “She taught herself to play the piano.” |
| Itself | Used for animals, things, or ideas to indicate the subject performs the action on itself | “The cat can clean itself.” |
| Ourselves | Used when the subject and the object of the action are the same (in plural) | “We have to defend ourselves.” |
| Yourselves | Refers to the subject performing an action on itself (plural) | “You must all prepare yourselves for the journey.” |
| Themselves | Indicates that the subjects (plural) perform the action on themselves | “The children dressed themselves for school.” |
Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same, often to emphasize the subject or to show that the subject is performing the action on itself.
