Basic English Grammar

Reflexive Pronouns

Read the following sentences.

• I enjoyed myself.
• We enjoyed ourselves.
• Enjoy yourself.
• They enjoyed themselves.
• He enjoyed himself.
• The cat was enjoying itself chasing the mouse.

When –self is added to my, your, him, her and it and –selves to our, your and them, we get compound personal pronouns. When these pronouns are used as the object of a verb, they are called reflexive pronouns.

Other examples are given below.

• He loves himself. (He loves whom? – himself)
• She praised herself. (She praised whom? – herself)
• I washed myself.
• Behave yourself.
• She killed herself.

Sometimes the reflexive pronoun is used after a preposition.

• He was beside himself with rage.
• She did it all by herself.
• She went all by herself.

Note that reflexive pronouns are used only when the subject and object refer to the same person or thing. They are not used in other situations.

• No one knows her better than he. (NOT … better than himself.)
• Alice and I went together. (NOT Alice and myself …)
• I wrote the letter. (NOT Myself wrote …)

Emphatic pronouns

Read the following sentences.

• She herself spoke to me.
• I myself wrote all the letters.
• They themselves admitted it.
• The house itself is good, but not the surroundings.

In the sentences given above, the compound personal pronouns are used for the sake of emphasis and hence they are called emphatic pronouns. Emphatic pronouns are usually placed immediately after the noun or pronoun which they emphasize. Sometimes, they follow at a distance.

• I saw the minister myself.
• He said so himself.

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