Reflexive Pronouns

Pronouns are words used to replace nouns in sentences, helping to avoid repetition and make language clearer and smoother. Examples of pronouns include he, she, his, it and them. Reflexive pronouns are a special type of pronoun. Let’s take a closer look at them and work through some reflexive pronoun activities.

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are the words: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves. These words are used when the subject and the object in the sentences are the same. Take this sentence as an example: The pronoun ‘him’ is used.

Sasha cut him a slice of cake.

The subject (Sasha) and the object (him) are different. The pronoun ‘him’ is used.

But what if Sasha cut a slice of cake for Sasha? Would we say, ‘Sasha cut her a slice of cake’? No, we wouldn’t. A reflexive pronoun is used if the object and the subject are the same. The correct sentence would be:

Sasha cut herself a slice of cake.

The reflexive pronoun herself has been used because the subject and the object are the same.

Here is a chart that shows the different subject, object and reflexive pronouns. The subject and object pronouns should be pretty familiar to you by now. On this page, we’ll be focusing on reflexive pronouns.

Usage Examples

I taught myself to play the guitar.
Help yourself to some cake.
He looks at himself in the mirror every day.
She hurt herself while playing volleyball.
The computer reset itself after a power outage.
We have no one to blame but ourselves.
The are working by themselves.

Why Reflexive Pronouns Are Important

By understanding how to use reflexive pronouns we can communicate and write sentences clearly and accurately. They’re important because reflexive pronouns are often used to emphasise or highlight that the subject did something independently or personally. Reflexive pronouns also help us avoid repetition.

Video 1: An Overview of Reflexive Pronouns

More Reflexive Pronouns Practice