Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that point back to the sentence subject, like myself, yourself, and themselves. In English Grammar and Usage, they show that the subject and object are the same person or thing.

What are reflexive pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are the pronouns you use when the subject of a sentence and the receiver of the action are the same. In English Grammar and Usage, that means words like myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, and themselves point back to the subject instead of naming a different person or thing.

The easiest way to spot one is to check whether the action circles back to the subject. In She taught herself how to play piano, She is both the doer and the learner. The pronoun herself is not replacing a separate noun, it is showing that the same person is on both sides of the action.

Reflexive pronouns usually end in -self or -selves. Singular forms include myself, yourself, himself, herself, and itself. Plural forms include ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. Number matters here, so you would say The team reminded itself to stay calm only if you are treating the team as one unit, but The players reminded themselves to stay calm when you mean each person individually.

These pronouns also show up in commands and instructions. Please wash yourself before dinner and Help yourselves to the snacks both make sense because the person being told to act is also the one who receives the action. That same pattern can appear in directions, safety rules, and classroom procedures.

Reflexive pronouns can also be intensive pronouns when they add emphasis instead of reflecting the action back to the subject, as in The principal herself opened the meeting. The sentence still works without herself, so the pronoun is emphasizing who did it. That distinction matters because not every -self word is doing the same job.

One common mistake is using a reflexive pronoun where a personal pronoun should go. Say Sarah and I met the teacher, not Sarah and myself met the teacher. Reflexive pronouns need the right sentence structure, usually with a clear subject already in place. If there is no subject to refer back to, the reflexive pronoun is probably wrong.

Why reflexive pronouns matter in English Grammar and Usage

Reflexive pronouns show up any time English needs to mark that the subject and object are the same, so they connect directly to pronoun categories, agreement, and sentence clarity. If you can spot them quickly, you can tell whether a sentence is describing an action done to oneself or an action done to someone else.

That matters in editing because reflexive pronouns are one of the places where English speakers often overuse the word myself. People sometimes write Please email myself the form or John and myself went to the store, but those sentences need object pronouns or separate subjects instead. Knowing the pattern helps you fix awkward phrasing instead of just guessing.

Reflexive pronouns also help you read tone and emphasis. In The coach himself said it, the pronoun adds stress. In She blamed herself, it shows a real self-directed action. Those are different meanings, even though the pronouns look similar on the page.

In grammar work, this term is useful because it ties together case, antecedent, and pronoun agreement. Once you can identify the subject clearly, the reflexive form usually becomes obvious too. That makes it easier to revise your own writing and explain why one version sounds natural while another does not.

How reflexive pronouns connect across the course

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are the forms reflexive pronouns come from, like I, you, he, she, it, we, and they. When a sentence needs a pronoun that refers back to the subject, the reflexive form is built on the matching personal pronoun. If you confuse the two, you may choose myself where I or me belongs.

Objective Case

Reflexive pronouns are not the same thing as objective case pronouns, even though both can appear after verbs or prepositions. The choice depends on whether the pronoun is receiving the action from another noun or pointing back to the subject. That difference is what makes John helped me correct, but John helped myself incorrect.

Pronoun Agreement

Agreement matters because the reflexive pronoun has to match the subject in number and person. A singular subject takes myself, yourself, himself, herself, or itself, while a plural subject takes ourselves, yourselves, or themselves. If the subject and reflexive form do not match, the sentence sounds off or becomes unclear.

Intensive Pronouns

Intensive pronouns use the same words as reflexive pronouns, but they do not show that the subject receives the action. Instead, they add emphasis, like The author herself signed the books. If you remove the intensive pronoun and the sentence keeps the same basic meaning, you are probably looking at emphasis rather than reflection.

Are reflexive pronouns on the English Grammar and Usage exam?

A quiz question or sentence-editing item may ask you to choose between myself, me, and I, or to identify whether a -self word is reflexive or intensive. The move is simple: find the subject, decide whether that subject is also receiving the action, and then match the pronoun form to the job it is doing. In a passage-analysis question, you may also explain how a reflexive pronoun adds clarity or emphasis. On writing assignments, you use the term when revising awkward sentences and fixing pronoun case errors.

Reflexive pronouns vs Intensive Pronouns

These two use the same words, but they do different jobs. A reflexive pronoun points back to the subject because the subject receives the action, as in She blamed herself. An intensive pronoun just adds emphasis, as in She herself finished the project. If you can remove the word and the core meaning stays the same, it is usually intensive.

Key things to remember about reflexive pronouns

• Reflexive pronouns point back to the subject of the sentence, so the subject and object are the same person or thing.

• The main forms are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

• Use a reflexive pronoun only when the sentence structure actually needs it, not as a replacement for I, me, he, or she.

• These pronouns can also appear for emphasis, but then they are functioning as intensive pronouns.

• If a sentence sounds awkward with a reflexive pronoun, check the subject and the pronoun case before you keep it.

Frequently asked questions about reflexive pronouns

What is reflexive pronouns in English Grammar and Usage?

Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that refer back to the subject of the sentence. They show that the subject is also the receiver of the action, like in She taught herself to swim. In English Grammar and Usage, they are part of pronoun categories and pronoun case.

What are examples of reflexive pronouns?

The main reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves. You might see them in sentences like The child dressed himself or We introduced ourselves to the class. The word has to match the subject in person and number.

How are reflexive pronouns different from intensive pronouns?

They use the same words, but reflexive pronouns show that the subject receives the action, while intensive pronouns only add emphasis. Compare She blamed herself with The chef herself made the meal. In the second sentence, herself is extra emphasis and can be removed without changing the basic meaning.

When should I use myself instead of me?

Use myself only when the subject and the object are the same, or when the pronoun is adding emphasis in a special structure. In John and I cleaned the room, I is correct because it is part of the subject. In John cleaned the room by himself, himself works because it refers back to John.