Reflexive Pronouns

I can see myself in the mirror.

She can see herself in the mirror.

Obama can see himself in the mirror.

What can this dog see in the mirror?

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The dog can see itself in the mirror.

The children are enjoying themselves.

Reflexive Pronouns

reflexive (adj.) [grammar]:

reflecting back on the subject, like a mirror

We use a reflexive pronoun when we want to refer back to the subject of the sentence or clause.

Reflexive pronouns end in "-self" (singular) or "-selves" (plural).

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns

reflexive pronounsingular myself

yourselfhimself, herself, itself

plural ourselvesyourselvesthemselves

There are eight reflexive pronouns:

Reflexive Pronounsnon-reflexivethe underlined words are NOT the same person/thing

REFLEXIVE pronounsthe underlined words are the SAME person/thing

John saw me. I saw myself in the mirror.

Why does he blame you? Why do you blame yourself?

David sent him a copy. John sent himself a copy.

David sent her a copy. Mary sent herself a copy.

My dog hurt the cat. My dog hurt itself.

We blame you. We blame ourselves.

Can you help my children? Can you help yourselves?

They cannot look after the babies. They cannot look after themselves.

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!

When to use reflexive pronouns

2. We use them for emphasis.

The author signed the book for me herself!

I did it myself.

Never mind. We'll do it ourselves.

The President himself promised to stop the war.

You yourselves asked us to do it.

They recommend this book even though they had never read it themselves.

When to use reflexive pronouns

3. In some cases we use it to have a similar meaning to “also” or “too”.

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

When to use reflexive pronouns

4. Use “by” with a reflexive pronoun to mean “alone”.

Despite the fact that Sue was only eight years old, she took the airplane by herself from New York to Seoul to visit her grandparents.

The bank teller was by himself when the robber entered the bank.

Do you like to exercise by yourself or with a friend?

Let’s practice.

1. This accident was my fault. I blame _____________ for the accident.

2. Be careful with that sharp knife! You are going to cut ___________ if you are not careful.

3. John talks to ____________ when he’s nervous.

4. My wife and I have our own business. We don't have a boss. We work for _____________.

5. No one taught Mr. and Mrs. Hall how to run a business. They taught _____________ everything they needed to know about running a small business.

6. Mr. Baker committed suicide. He killed _________.

7. Rebecca has the flu. She must rest at home and take care of _________.

8. They were by _________ in the house when the fire broke out in the kitchen.

9. If we believe in __________________, we can accomplish our goals.

10. When I failed to get the job, I was sad and depressed. I felt sorry for _________________.

11. The machine managed to fix ________________.

12. I am going to the doctor by ______________.

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Answer grammar on p.95