Choose between personal and reflexive pronouns
Key Notes:
🗼 Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that end in -self or -selves.
| Subject (singular) | Reflexive pronoun |
| I | myself |
| you | yourself |
| she | herself |
| he | himself |
| it | itself |
| Subject (plural) | Reflexive pronoun |
| we | ourselves |
| you | yourselves |
| they | themselves |
🗼 Reflexive pronouns are used to refer back to the subject of a sentence. They should match the subject.
- We helped ourselves to some more soup.
- The subject of the sentence is we, so use ourselves.
- Amy drives herself to work every morning.
- The subject of the sentence, Amy, can be called she, so use herself.
🗼 A reflexive pronoun can only be used to refer to the subject. To refer to someone else or something else, a personal pronoun, like me, you, him, her, it, us, or them, should be used instead.
- Jake wrote a note for himself.
- The reflexive pronoun, himself, refers back to the subject, Jake.
- Jake wrote a note for him.
- The personal pronoun, him, must refer to someone other than the subject, Jake.
Learn with an example
1)Select the best pronoun to complete the sentence.
I forgive________ for breaking my camera.
- you
- yourself
- The missing pronoun does not refer to the subject, I.
- So, you should not use a reflexive pronoun. Instead, use the personal pronoun you.
2)Select the best pronoun to complete the sentence.
I hope to support_______ as an artist someday.
- me
- myself
- The missing pronoun refers to the subject, so it should be a reflexive pronoun.
- The subject is I, so use the matching reflexive pronoun, myself.
3)Select the best pronoun to complete the sentence.
You will upset ________with too much worrying!
- you
- yourself
- The missing pronoun refers to the subject, so it should be a reflexive pronoun.
- The subject is you, so use the matching reflexive pronoun, yourself.
4)Select the best pronoun to complete the sentence.
The astronaut welcomed ______aboard the space shuttle.
- us
- ourselves
- The missing pronoun does not refer to the subject, the astronaut.
- So, you should not use a reflexive pronoun. Instead, use the personal pronoun us.
Let’s practice!🖊️
