Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves. They refer back to the subject forms of personal pronouns (underlined in the example below):
We didn’t decorate it ourselves. Someone else did it for us.

subject pronoun
reflexive pronoun
I
myself
you (singular)
yourself
he
himself
she
herself
it
itself
one
oneself
we
ourselves
you (plural)
yourselves
they
themselves

Reflexive pronouns for same subject and object

We often use reflexive pronouns when the subject and the object of the verb refer to the same person or thing:
He cut himself on the broken glass.
She made herself a cup of tea and sat down in front of the television.
Parents often blame themselves for the way their children behave.
We use a reflexive pronoun to make it clear who or what is being referred to.
Compare

Agnes looked at herself in the mirror.
The subject and the object are the same.
Agnes looked at her in the mirror.
The subject and the object are different. Agnes is looking at someone else in the mirror.

Reflexive pronouns for emphasis

We can use reflexive pronouns for emphasis:
The director of the company wrote to us himself to apologise for the dreadful service.(or The director of the company himself wrote to us to apologise for the dreadful service.)
We don’t use reflexive pronouns on their own as the subject of a clause, but we can use them with a noun or pronoun to emphasise the subject:
Parents and teachers always pass on to children what they themselves have been told, and this has been going on for hundreds, or even thousands of years.

Reflexive pronouns + by meaning alone

We often use reflexive pronouns with by to mean ‘alone’ or ‘without any help’:
Why don’t you go by yourself?
The children made the entire meal by themselves.

Reflexive pronouns for politeness

We sometimes use reflexive pronouns instead of personal pronouns for politeness, but not as the subject of a clause:
The National Trust is a charity depending on the support of people like yourself. (or … people like you.)

The reflexive pronouns are:
Singular:myself - yourself - himself - herself - itself
Plural:ourselves - yourselves - themselves


When we use a reflexive pronoun

We use a reflexive pronoun:
• as a direct object when the object is the same as the subject of the verb:
I am teaching myself to play the piano.
Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.
We can use a reflexive pronoun as direct object with most transitive verbs, but these are the most common:
amuseblamecutdryenjoyhelp
hurtintroducekillpreparesatisfyteach

Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as direct object:
  • Would you like to help yourself to another drink?
    = Would you like to take another drink.
  • I wish the children would behave themselves.
     = I wish the children would behave well.
  • He found himself lying by the side of the road.
    = He was surprised when he realised that he was at the side of the road.
  • I saw myself as a famous actor.
    = I imagined that I was a famous actor.
  • She applied herself to the job of mending the lights.
    = She worked very hard to mend the lights.
  • He busied himself in the kitchen.
     = He worked busily in the kitchen.
  • I had to content myself with a few Euros.
    = I had to be satisfied with a few Euros.
We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things people usually do for themselves, such as wash, shave, dress:
He washed [himself] in cold water.
He always shaved [himself] before going out in the evening.
Michael dressed [himself] and got ready for the party.
We only use reflexives with these verbs for emphasis:
He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.
She’s old enough to wash herself.
• as indirect object when the indirect object is the same as the subject of the verb:
Would you like to pour yourself a drink.
We’ve brought ourselves something to eat.
• as the object of a preposition when the object refers to the subject of the clause:
They had to cook for themselves.
He was feeling very sorry for himself.

Warning
But we use personal pronouns, not reflexives, after prepositions of place...
He had a suitcase beside him.
and after with when it means "accompanied by":
She had a few friends with her.

We use a reflexive pronoun...
• with the preposition by when we want to show that someone did something alone and/or without any help:
He lived by himself in an enormous house.
She walked home by herself.
The children got dressed by themselves.
I prepared the whole meal by myself.
• to emphasise the person or thing we are referring to:
Kendal itself is quite a small town.
especially if we are talking about someone very famous:
Sir Paul McCartney himself sang the final song.
We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the clause when we are using it for emphasis:
I baked the bread myself.
She mended the car herself 

lige la respuesta correcta.


Q1 of 8
They can help ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q2 of 8
You (singular) can do it ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q3 of 8
You (plural) can do it ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q4 of 8
He cleaned the kitchen ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q5 of 8
I did my homework all by ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q6 of 8
We made the cake all by ____. 
  
  
  
  
Q7 of 8
Did she paint the rooms ____. 
  
  
  
  
















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