Reflexive Pronouns – English Grammar

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Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that reflect back to the subject of the sentence. They are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same person or thing. Here’s an overview of reflexive pronouns along with five examples for each:

  1. Singular Reflexive Pronouns:
    • Reflexive pronouns used when the subject of the sentence is singular.
    • Examples:
      1. myself – “I hurt myself while hiking.”
      2. yourself – “Did you buy yourself a gift?”
      3. himself – “He taught himself how to play the guitar.”
      4. herself – “She bought herself a new dress.”
      5. itself – “The cat cleaned itself.”
  2. Plural Reflexive Pronouns:
    • Reflexive pronouns used when the subject of the sentence is plural.
    • Examples:
      1. ourselves – “We made the cake ourselves.”
      2. yourselves – “Did you paint the house yourselves?”
      3. themselves – “They cooked dinner themselves.”
      4. themselves – “The children amused themselves.”
      5. yourselves – “You need to help yourselves.”
  3. First Person Reflexive Pronouns:
    • Reflexive pronouns used when the subject is the speaker or speakers.
    • Examples:
      1. myself – “I bought myself a new phone.”
      2. ourselves – “We enjoyed ourselves at the party.”
      3. ourselves – “Let’s make lunch ourselves.”
      4. ourselves – “We should challenge ourselves.”
      5. ourselves – “We need to rely on ourselves.”
  4. Second Person Reflexive Pronouns:
    • Reflexive pronouns used when the subject is the person or people being spoken to.
    • Examples:
      1. yourself – “You need to believe in yourself.”
      2. yourselves – “Did you behave yourselves?”
      3. yourself – “You should take care of yourself.”
      4. yourselves – “Help yourselves to some snacks.”
      5. yourself – “You can do it by yourself.”
  5. Third Person Reflexive Pronouns:
    • Reflexive pronouns used when the subject is someone or something other than the speaker or the person being spoken to.
    • Examples:
      1. himself – “He dressed himself for the party.”
      2. herself – “She taught herself how to knit.”
      3. itself – “The computer fixed itself.”
      4. themselves – “The dogs groomed themselves.”
      5. themselves – “The students organized themselves for the project.”

Reflexive pronouns are crucial for indicating actions that the subject performs on itself, adding clarity and precision to sentences.

Related Articles: Basic English Grammar: In Simple Way

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