A reflexive pronoun refers to a noun or pronoun in the same clause, with the same subject. English has eight regularly used reflexive pronouns. They can also emphasize the subject or be the object of a preposition. Misuse is common, especially when speakers believe it sounds more sophisticated.
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that refers to another pronoun or noun in the same clause. When the subject of the first noun or pronoun, known as the antecedent, is the same as that of the second, a reflexive pronoun is appropriate. “Himself” is an example of a reflexive pronoun. This type of pronoun is never the subject of a sentence, except in archaic or poetic contexts.
English has eight regularly used reflexive pronouns, although there are a number of rarer forms. In the first person, “myself” is singular while “ourselves” is plural. In the second person, the pronouns are “yourself” and “yourself.” In the third person, “himself”, “herself” and “himself” are singular while “oneself” is plural. ‘Himself’ and ‘ourselves’ are rarer, with the latter being used only as a stately pronoun akin to the ‘real we’.
A reflexive pronoun occurs when a noun with the same subject is already present in the sentence. For example, in the sentence “Gail she hummed to herself while she worked,” the pronoun stands for “Gail.” Since Gail has already appeared as the subject of the sentence, the reflexive pronoun “herself” is appropriate instead of “her”.
The usage is identical in sentences where the antecedent is a pronoun rather than a noun. For example, in the sentence “he promised himself this would be his last donut of the night”, the subject and object of the sentence are the same person, the anonymous “he”. Consequently, the object of the sentence is the reflexive pronoun “himself”.
A reflexive pronoun can also serve to emphasize the subject of a sentence. In this usage, it indicates that the subject, and only the subject, performed the verb of the sentence. For example, in the sentence “I built the house by myself,” the use of “myself” indicates that the speaker, and no one else, built the house under discussion.
Not all reflexive pronouns are the subject of a sentence. In some cases, they can be the subject of a preposition where the object of the verb is something else. For example, in the sentence “I cooked dinner for myself”, “dinner” is the object of the sentence while “myself” is the object of the preposition.
Some speakers abuse the reflexive pronoun by applying it in cases where the subject and object are not the same tense. For example, in the sentence “we sent the letter to yourselves”, “yourself” is used incorrectly. The second pronoun does not refer to the same subject as the first, and therefore “you” is the correct choice. Many people overuse reflexive pronouns this way, probably because they mistakenly believe that the longer pronoun sounds more sophisticated.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
