When the Subject and the Object in a sentence refer to the same person or thing we use

a Reflexive Pronoun.
It is the only area of English grammar that is reflexive.
Subject

Reflexive

Pronouns

Pronouns

Myself

You

Yourself

He

Himself

She

Herself

It

Itself

We

Ourselves

You (pl)

Yourselves

They

Themselves

If you are using YOU in the plural, the reflexive pronoun is yourselves.
Examples of sentences using reflexive pronouns:

My daughter likes to dress herself without my help.

I taught myself to play the guitar.

My cat always licks itself.

When to use reflexive pronouns

1. When the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing.

He accidentally cut himself while he was chopping the vegetables.

She bought a present for herself.

We helped ourselves to the free drinks at the launch party.

They injured themselves during the rugby match.

I enjoyed myself at the concert.

The dog is scratching itself it must have fleas!

2. We use them for emphasis.

The author signed the book for me herself!

I did it myself.

3. In some cases we use it to have a similar meaning to also.

Annabelle was pretty happy last night. I was pretty happy myself.

When NOT to use reflexive pronouns

1. There are a number of verbs in English with which we rarely or never use reflexive pronouns (as
they are in other languages).
They include: adapt, complain, concentrate, get up, hide, lie down, meet, move, relax, remember,
shave, shower, sit down.
2. After a preposition of place or location we use a personal pronoun and not a reflexive pronoun.

He put the backpack next to him.

Ourselves, Themselves and Each Other

1. We use each other when two or more people or things perform the same action to the other.

Our neighbors were shouting at each other all night.

My brothers always compete with each other in sport.

2. Take note of the difference between these two sentences:

Mark and Sarah killed themselves. (They each committed suicide).

Mark and Sarah killed each other. (Mark killed Sarah and she killed Mark).

More about Each Other

We use the reciprocal pronoun each other when the action is between two people, and not
reflexive.

They stared into each other's eyes.

The hate each other.

And to make the contrast clearer:

Mike and Carol bought each other presents for Christmas

(Mike bought a present for Carol and Carol bought a present for Mike).
is very different to

Mike and Carol bought themselves presents for Christmas

(Mike bought a present for himself and Carol bought a present for herself).

Reflexive Pronouns with Objects

We use verb + reflexive pronoun + object when we do something for ourselves.

She cooked herself a quiche.

We taught ourselves French.

We use verb + object + reflexive pronoun when we want to emphasize that another person did not
do the action (or assist).

I repaired the tire myself.

They did the homework themselves.

My brother spoke to his boss himself about a raise.

By + Reflexive Pronouns
We use by + myself/yourself/himself etc when we are alone or not with another person.

Jacob went to the party by himself.

Emma was sitting by herself.

Reflexive Pronouns
I saw myself reflected in her eyes.
No, the above sentence isnt a sappy love song lyric. Its an example of a particular kind
of pronoun called a reflexive pronoun. Unfamiliar with reflexive pronouns? Read on to
find out all you need to know about them.

What Are Reflexive Pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence or
clause. They either end in self, as in the singular form, or selves as in the plural form.
The singular reflexive pronouns are:
Myself
Yourself
Himself, herself, itself
Plural reflexive pronouns include:
Ourselves
Yourselves
Themselves

All of the above pronouns are used to rename the subjects of action verbs and function
as different types of objects. If the reflexive pronoun is taken out of the sentence, it wont
make sense. Lets look at a few examples.
Examples of reflexive pronouns
The following sentences are examples of the correct and incorrect use of reflexive
pronouns.
Non-reflexive: Adam e-mailed him a copy of the report.

In this sense the italicized words are not the same person. Him is not a reflection
of Adam therefore it is not a reflexive pronoun.
Reflexive: Adam e-mailed himself a copy of the report.

Here are the italicized words are the same person. Himself reflects back to the subject
of the sentence which is Adam.
Non-reflexive: Allison accidentally

cut her with

the

scissors.

Reflexive: Allison accidentally cut herself.

Non-reflexive: Brandon blames you.
Reflexive: Brandon blames himself.
Non-reflexive: Can you feed

my guests?

Reflexive: Can you feed yourselves?

Non-reflexive: They cannot

help

the

angry mob.

Reflexive: They cannot help themselves.

Non-reflexive: Carol poured her a

glass

of

milk.

Reflexive: Carol poured herself a glass of milk.

Non-reflexive: The

young girl was

Reflexive: The young girl was singing happily to herself.

More examples of reflexive pronouns:

I gave myself 12 weeks to get in shape.
You should buy yourself a new computer.
Diane bought herself a new pair of shoes.
Jeff read quietly to himself.
The kitten groomed itself.
We treated ourselves to a night on the town.
The students are able to monitor themselves.

Reflexive Pronouns and Intensive Pronouns

singing

happily

to them.

Reflexive pronouns can also function as intensive pronouns but they act a little
differently and they arent used in quite the same way. An intensive pronoun emphasizes
its antecedent, or the subject of the sentence. These pronouns are positioned right next
to the subject.
Examples:
I myself am tired of all this rain.
You yourself are to blame for this confusion.
The president himself wrote me a letter.
We ourselves cooked the cake.
The dog itself opened her fridge raider.
The boys themselves led the entire team to victory.

To recap, reflexive pronouns refer back to, or reflect, the subject and they always end
in self or selves.There are only eight reflexive pronouns so remembering them and
how to use them should b

Adjectives

Verbs

Nouns

Conjunctions

Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Personal Pronouns

Object Pronouns

Subject Pronouns

Indefinite Pronouns

Interrogative Pronouns

Reciprocal Pronouns

Intensive Pronouns

Pronoun Exercises

Adverb

Preposition

Intensive Pronouns
What Is an Intensive Pronoun?
An intensive pronoun is almost identical to a reflexive pronoun. It is defined as a pronoun that
ends in self or selves and places emphasis on its antecedent by referring back to another noun or
pronoun used earlier in the sentence. For this reason, intensive pronouns are sometimes called
emphatic pronouns.
You can test a word to see whether its an intensive pronoun by removing it from the sentence and
checking to see if the sentence has the same impact.

Reflexive vs. Intensive Pronouns

You can tell the difference between a reflexive pronoun and an intensive pronoun easily: Intensive
pronouns arent essential to a sentences basic meaning. Understanding this basic difference will
help to prevent you from confusing the two.
Both intensive and reflexive pronouns end in the suffix self or selves, however reflexive pronouns
are always objects that refer to a sentences subject. The following example shows a reflexive
pronoun in action:
Jim made himself coffee.
Without the reflexive pronoun himself, it would be impossible for the reader to know who Jim made
coffee for.
In the next example, himself is used as an intensive pronoun. The reader would be able to
understand the sentences complete meaning without this pronoun, but it serves to add emphasis:
Jim made coffee for the king himself.
Here, himself refers to the king rather than to Jim. The reader is meant to be impressed that Jim
made coffee for the king.

Common Intensive Pronouns

The following list contains the most commonly used examples of intensive pronouns.

Himself

Herself

Yourself

Themselves

Ourselves
Intensive pronouns might not be necessary, but they serve the important function of making your
writing more interesting as well as more meaningful, particularly in formal situations. Use them
sparingly to ensure that the emphasis they provide isnt lost.

Intensive Pronoun Examples

Intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to statements. In the following examples, the intensive
pronouns have been italicized for ease of identification.
1.

Jesse wondered aloud whether he himself was the only one seeing what was happening.

2.

Maria knew that she herself could make a positive impact on the world, if only she put her
mind to it.

3.

You yourself can easily transform your body: All it takes is a proper diet and plenty of
exercise.

4.

The team knew that they themselves were responsible for playing their best.

5.

We ourselves are the ones who make the greatest impact upon the world we live in.

Intensive Pronoun Exercises

Choose the correct intensive pronoun to fill the blank in each sentence.
We built a garden shed by ______________.

1.
A.

Myself

B.

Ourselves

C.

Themselves

D.

Himself

2.

Jordan made _____________ a sandwich, complete with pickles.

A.

Ourselves

B.

Yourself

C.

Himself

D.
3.

Themselves
Im a little nervous about walking by _____________ after dark.

A.

Myself

B.

Ourselves

C.

Themselves

D.

Herself

4.

The twins are growing up fast; theyre already walking by _____________.

A.

Myself

B.

Ourselves

C.

Himself

D.

Themselves

5.

Jennifer sewed her dress ____________.

A.

Myself

B.

Himself

C.

Ourselves

D.

Herself

Answer Key
1.

B We built a garden shed by ourselves.

2.

C Jordan made himself a sandwich, complete with pickles.

3.

A Im a little nervous about walking by myself after dark.

4.

D The twins are growing up fast; theyre already walking by themselves.

5.

D Jennifer sewed her dress herself.

Intensive vs. Reflexive Pronoun Exercises

Identify the italicized word as either a reflexive pronoun or an intensive pronoun.

Ben built a boat for the President

1.
A.

Reflexive pronoun

B.

Intensive pronoun

2.

My mother bakes our familys bread herself.

A.

Reflexive pronoun

B.

Intensive pronoun

3.

The mayor herself appeared at the rally.

A.

Reflexive pronoun

B.

Intensive pronoun

Answer Key
1.

A Reflexive pronoun

2.

B Intensive pronoun

3.

A Reflexive pronoun