Reflexive pronouns are pronouns that reflect back to the subject, but how do they work, and what are some examples? Below, we explain what reflexive pronouns are and how to use them correctly.

What are reflexive pronouns?

Reflexive pronouns are words ending in -self or -selves that are used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same (e.g., I believe in myself).

They can act as either objects or indirect objects.

The nine English reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, himself, herself, oneself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

Grammatical terms might seem complicated and a bit arbitrary when you first hear them, but they really aren’t, once you get to know them.

The term reflexive is a good example.

Through Latin, reflexive is related to reflect;

this is useful to remember because a reflexive pronoun reflects upon a sentence’s subject.

Reflexive pronouns are direct or indirect objects

A reflexive pronoun can be a direct object in a sentence when the subject and the direct object are one and the same.

• Example

  Jack decided to reward Mary with a dinner out.

  Jack decided to reward himself with a dinner out.

In the first sentence, Mary is the object of reward.

Jack, the subject, is the object of reward in the second sentence, so we use the pronoun himself.

Reflexive pronouns can also play the indirect object role in a sentence.

• Example

  He knitted himself a new sweater.

  Cynthia pours herself a cup of tea every morning.

It is worth noting that referring twice to the same noun as subject and object (rather than using a reflexive pronoun for the object) sounds just a bit creepy.

“Jack decided to cook Jack a special supper,” for example, sounds unnerving to a primary English speaker.

Reflexive pronouns as intensive pronouns

Intensive pronouns are reflexive pronouns that are used to emphasize the subject or antecedent in a sentence, often in the sense of “and not someone else.” You can tell when a word ending in -self or -selves is being used as an intensive pronoun because the sentence it is part of will not change in meaning significantly if you remove it.

• Example

Jack made his supper himself. (No one else did it for him.)

I closed the store on Saturday myself. (I didn’t have an employee to do it.)

We ourselves were forced to pilot the boat to safety. (Perhaps the captain was indisposed.)