Reflexive Pronoun: A Guide for Beginners

What is a reflexive pronoun? A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to its respective previously mentioned antecedent noun or pronoun. Reflexive pronouns in English end in "self or selves". Reflexive pronouns are used after the noun or pronoun they refer to. The best way to identify reflexive pronouns is to make sure that they receive the actions performed by their respective subjects. Reflexive pronouns include myself, yourself or yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves, oneself. A reflexive pronoun is used when the object and subject of a sentence are the same persons; that is, the subject acts upon itself. 

What are reflexive pronouns?, how to use reflexive pronouns?, What are reflexive pronouns contrasted with?, how to identify reflexive pronouns? are the questions detailed in this post. Continue to read to learn reflexive pronoun definition, identification, usage, differences, etc. with example sentences with clear explanations. 

This article covers:

• Reflexive Pronoun  Meaning and Definition
• What does reflexive pronoun mean? 
• What is reflexive pronoun definition?
• Reflexive Pronoun Examples
• How to Use Reflexive Pronouns?
• Reflexive Pronouns List 
• Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun
• FAQs: Reflexive Pronoun

Reflexive Pronoun  Meaning and Definition

What does reflexive pronoun mean? The word "reflexive" in the phrase "reflexive" means "directed or turned back on itself". On the other hand, the word "pronoun" means some word that is used in place of a noun or noun phrase. As a result, the phrase "reflexive pronoun" means some word used in place of a noun or noun phrase is directed or turned back on itself.

What is reflexive pronoun definition? A reflexive pronoun is defined as a pronoun that refers back to its respective previously mentioned antecedent noun or pronoun within the same sentence. 

According to the meaning and definition of reflexive pronoun above, we can define a reflexive pronoun as follows:

1. A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun: As a pronoun is used in place of a noun or noun phrase, a reflexive pronoun is used instead of a noun or noun phrase to refer back to that previously mentioned noun or noun phrase.

For example:

John hurt himself. 

2. A reflexive pronoun is reflexive: The term "reflexive" means "turned back on itself." The same thing applies to a reflexive pronoun as it shows that the action performed by the subject turns back on itself; that is, the subject performs and receives the action. The reflexive pronoun tells us that the subject is the doer and the recipient of the action.

For example:

Rocky told himself that he would do that.

  

3. A reflexive pronoun refers to its respective noun or pronoun: This point is essential to remember. A reflexive pronoun refers back to its "respective" noun or pronoun. As a result, we can't use a reflexive pronoun for a noun or a noun phrase which it does not belong to. Therefore, we can't say "John hurt herself."

For example:

 She bought herself a laptop.

4. A reflexive pronoun is present within the same sentence: As a reflexive pronoun refers back to its respective antecedent noun or pronoun or noun phrase and is used when the object of a sentence is the same as the subject, it's important for a reflexive pronoun to be present within the same sentence.

For example:

I want to teach myself English.

More Reflexive Pronoun Examples in Sentences

a. I want to teach myself French.

b. You need to help yourself in such situations.

c. He will hurt himself by doing so.

d. She cut herself.

e. It [dog] hurt itself.

f. They poured themselves a drink.

g. We should help ourselves.

h. One should not cheat oneself.

How to Use Reflexive Pronouns?

The use of reflexive pronouns is a bit tricky. You can, however, be able to correctly use reflexive pronouns if you keep the following points in mind. Here are the tips and tricks to correctly use reflexive pronouns:

Tip 1: Use the respective pronoun with its specified subject: There are many reflexive pronouns. However, you can't use one in place of the other; that is, you need to use the particular reflexive pronoun with the particular subject. As a result, you'll not be using "herself" in place of "himself" for instance. Therefore, remember the following list which tells you which reflexive pronoun should be used with which subject.

a. Myself with I

b. Yourself or yourselves with you

c. Himself with he

d. Herself with she

e. Itself with it

f. Themselves with they

g. Ourselves with we

h. Oneself with one

Tip 2: Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and the object are the same: To use a reflexive pronoun, you need to make sure that the subject and the object of a sentence are the same; that is, the subject, the doer of the action, is recipient of the action.

Tip 3: Use a reflexive pronoun with an action transitive verb: As a reflexive pronoun receives the action performed by the subject and becomes the direct object, you need to make sure that the reflexive pronoun is used with action transitive verbs, not with stative verbs.

  

Reflexive Pronouns List 

Here's the list of reflexive pronouns in English. You need to learn all the reflexive pronouns by heart.

• Myself
• Yourself/yourselves
• Himself
• Herself
• Itself
• Themselves
• Ourselves
• Oneself

Students get immediately confused when learning reflexive pronouns, as the forms the reflexive pronouns take are taken by emphatic pronouns also. However, there's a great difference between a reflexive and an emphatic pronoun. Learn the difference below.

Reflexive and Emphatic Pronoun

A reflexive pronoun is the one that is used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same; that is, the subject performs and receives the action, whereas an emphatic pronoun is used for emphasis.

Here are the similarities and differences between reflexive and emphatic pronouns:

1. Both reflexive and emphatic pronouns same in form: The forms taken by both reflexive and emphatic pronouns are the same; that is, myself, yourself or yourselves, himself, herself, itself, themselves, ourselves and oneself act as both reflexive and emphatic pronouns.

For example:

1. He bought himself a book. (reflexive)

2. He himself bought a book. (emphatic)

2. Both reflexive and emphatic pronouns with respective antecedents: Both reflexive and emphatic pronouns are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same.

For example:

1. right: He bought himself a book. (reflexive)

2. wrong: He bought herself a book. (reflexive)

3. right: He himself bought a book. (emphatic)

4. wrong: He yourself bought a book. (emphatic)  

3. The roles of reflexive and emphatic pronouns are different: Reflexive pronouns receive the actions performed by the subject, whereas emphatic pronouns emphasize the actions.

For example:

1. John cut himself.

2. John himself did it.

FAQs: Reflexive Pronoun

What is a reflexive pronoun with example?

What is a reflexive pronoun? A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to its respective previously mentioned noun or pronoun. Reflexive pronouns in English end in "self or selves". Reflexive pronouns are used after the noun or pronoun they refer to as in "John controlled himself in that situation."

What is reflexive pronoun in simple words?

In simple words, a reflexive pronoun is a type of pronoun that refers to its respective noun or pronoun and is used when the subject [noun or pronoun] and the object [reflexive pronoun] are the same as in "I told myself."

 

What is the meaning of reflexive pronoun?

A reflexive pronoun means a pronoun used to denote that the action performed by the subject is turned back on itself; that is, a reflexive pronoun tells us that the subject is the doer and recipient of the action as in "He hurt himself."

Examples of reflexive pronouns in sentences

a. I want to teach myself French.

b. You need to help yourself in such situations.

c. He will hurt himself by doing so.

d. She cut herself.

e. It [dog] hurt itself.

f. They poured themselves a drink.

g. We should help ourselves.

h. One should not cheat oneself.