English grammar - Reflexive pronouns

Resource centre - English grammar - Reflexive pronouns

Form

myself
yourself
himself / herself / itself
ourselves
yourselves (plural)
themselves

Meaning

1. We use reflexive pronouns when the subject and object are the same.
   • I burnt myself on the stove this morning - Correct
     I burnt me on the stove this morning - Incorrect
   • You can help yourselves to drinks - Correct
     You can help you to drinks - Incorrect
   • He blames himself for the accident - Correct
     He blames him for the accident - Incorrect
2. We use reflexive pronouns to emphasize the subject, meaning that person or thing and nobody/nothing else.
   • "Did someone paint your house?" "No, I painted it myself."
   • He was planning to ask his assistant to go, but in the end he went himself.

Additional points

1. We do not use reflexive pronouns after feel, meet, concentrate and relax, and we do not normally use them after wash, shave and dress, unless it is necessary to make it clear who does the action.
   • He finds it difficult to relax - Correct
     
   • He finds it difficult to relax himself - Incorrect.
   • After I got up, I washed - Correct
     After I got up, I washed myself - Incorrect.
2. If it is clear that the meaning is reflexive, it is not necessary to use a reflexive pronoun.
   • He gave the present to him.
     He gave the present to himself.
     (We need a reflexive pronoun to clarify who the present is for.)
   • I took my mother with me
     I took my mother with myself - Incorrect
     (The only possible meaning is reflexive so we don't use a reflexive pronoun.)
3. We can use by + reflexive pronoun to mean alone.
   • She likes to go on holiday by herself.
4. We cannot use a reflexive possessive pronoun.We use my / your... own.
   • They all did their own work - Correct
     They all did themselves work - Incorrect

Teaching ideas for reflexive pronouns

How do you teach reflexive pronouns? Add your idea »

Constanza

  Thank you very much, everything you share is very important to review or learn. Usually I start making the student see her/his face in a mirror to compare the situation and start expressing ideas using "myself", later they listen about the other cases of reflexive and understand them easily.

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