1) What are reflexive pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns are 'Myself', 'Yourself', 'Himself', 'Herself', 'Itself', 'Ourselves', 'Yourselves' and 'Themselves'. They refer back to people, animals or things.
Examples:
She looked at herself in the mirror.
My phone turns itself off for no reason.
2) Use
❖ We use reflexive pronouns, when the subject and the object of a verb are the same, to emphasize the subject or specify that the subject does something alone.
- Myself: it works with 'I'.
Example:
I’m trying to teach myself Italian with an app.
- Yourself: it works with the singular form of 'You'.
Example:
You might cut yourself.
- Himself: it works with 'He'.
Example:
He mended the car himself.
- Herself: it works with 'She'.
Example:
She broke her arm, so she couldn’t wash herself very easily.
- Itself: it works with 'It'.
Example:
The cat was washing itself.
- Ourselves: it works with 'We'.
Example:
We need to believe in ourselves more.
- Yourselves: it works with the plural form of 'You'.
Example:
I hope you enjoy yourselves at the party tonight!
- Themselves: it works with 'They'.
Example:
Our children walk to school by themselves.