Reflexive Pronouns | Examples & List
Reflexive pronouns, such as “himself,” “ourselves,” and “yourself,” refer to the noun that’s also the subject of a sentence or clause.
These pronouns end in “-self” or “-selves,” depending on whether they’re singular or plural. The beginning of each reflexive pronoun is either a possessive determiner (e.g., “my”) or an object pronoun (e.g., “them”).
| Pronoun | Person | Number | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myself | First | Singular | Sometimes I talk to myself when I’m alone. |
| Ourselves | First | Plural | We entertained ourselves for hours with the new karaoke machine. |
| Yourself | Second | Singular | If you drive yourself to the party, I’ll meet you there. |
| Yourselves | Second | Plural | Please help yourselves to the free donuts on the table. |
| Himself | Third | Singular | Juan was so proud of himself when he finished his dissertation. |
| Herself | Third | Singular | Kloe looked at herself in the mirror and saw her mother staring back. |
| Themself | Third | Singular | Yudhi considers themself an expert in large language models. |
| Themselves | Third | Singular | After a long day of classes, Kelly ordered themselves a pizza. |
| Themselves | Third | Plural | Teachers usually don’t consider themselves heroes, but they truly are. |
| Oneself | Third | Singular | One should always be able to laugh at oneself. |
| Itself | Third | Singular | This dirty pan isn’t going to wash itself. |
What are reflexive pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns can play any of these object pronoun roles in sentences:
- A direct object that receives the action of the verb
- An indirect object that receives the direct object
- An object of a preposition, such as “with” or “for”
However, reflexive pronouns are only correct when the subject of the sentence is the same person or thing. The subject can be the antecedent—the noun the reflexive pronoun represents—or another pronoun with the same antecedent.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Direct object | Eva surprised herself by winning the race. |
| Indirect object | Will set himself an alarm for 7 o’clock. |
| Object of a preposition | I made a matcha latte for myself and an iced coffee for Lori. |
An object pronoun like “her” refers to someone who’s not the subject. In a reflexive pronoun, the suffixes “-self” and “-selves” show that the object and the subject are the same person.
- Lily bought her a new pair of boots. [She bought boots for someone else.]
- Lily bought herself a new pair of boots.
Common mistakes with reflexive pronouns
The most common errors with reflexive pronouns include the following:
- Using “myself” as an incorrect subject or object pronoun
- Misspellings, such as “hisself,” “theirself,” and “theirselves”
Myself as an incorrect subject or object pronoun
Sometimes “myself” is incorrectly used as a subject pronoun. The correct singular, first-person pronoun for the subject of a sentence is always “I.” Also use “I” rather than “myself” for a predicate nominative that renames or describes the subject.
Even though “myself” is an object in a sentence, it’s not interchangeable with the object pronoun “me.” “Myself’ can only be an object when the subject is “I.” When the subject isn’t “I,” use an object pronoun for a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
| Use | Examples |
|---|---|
| Subject pronoun |
|
| Predicate nominative |
|
| Object pronoun |
|
Hisself, theirselves, and theirself
Some reflexive pronouns are made of a possessive determiner (e.g., “my”) with “-self” or “-selves” (e.g., “myself”). A common mistake is to assume that all reflexive pronouns start that way. For example, “his” is a possessive determiner, but “hisself” is not an English word.
Instead, the reflexive pronouns “himself,” “themselves,” and “themself” start with the object pronouns “him” and “them.”
Themselves vs themself
“Themselves” is a reflexive pronoun that goes with “they.” It’s always the correct choice for a plural, third-person reflexive pronoun. “Themselves” can also be singular when it refers to a nonbinary individual or a hypothetical person—just like the singular “they,” “Themself” has also become increasingly common.
“Themselves” and “themself” are both correct, but some style guides or instructors recommend one instead of the other. More importantly, use “themselves” or “themself” instead of phrases like “himself or herself” when referring to a hypothetical person.
- Each participant evaluated himself or herself in three categories.
- Each participant evaluated themself in three categories.
- Each participant evaluated themselves in three categories.
By + a reflexive pronoun
“By” with a reflexive pronoun (e.g., “by myself”) is a prepositional phrase that means “alone” or “without anyone’s help.”
Hattie decorated the apartment by herself, and it looks amazing.
By itself, the snow was manageable, but with the ice, it seemed unbearable.
Beside + a reflexive pronoun
“Beside” with a reflexive pronoun (e.g., “beside myself”) is an idiom that means “very sad” or “distraught.”
The family was beside themselves until their dog returned home safely.
Reflexive vs intensive pronouns
A reflexive pronoun can also be used as an intensive pronoun, which emphasizes another noun in a sentence. Intensive pronouns aren’t objects in sentences like reflexive pronouns. They go right after the nouns or pronouns they modify or after verbs. When intensive pronouns go after verbs, they usually mean “without anyone’s help.”
When an intensive pronoun is removed from a sentence, it still makes sense, but the emphasis changes.
Some people go to bed early, but I myself am a night owl.
Einstein himself said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
Reflexive vs reciprocal pronouns
The English reciprocal pronouns are “each other” and “one another.” Reciprocal pronouns are objects that refer back to subjects, but they’re slightly different from reflexive pronouns.
- Reflexive pronouns refer to subjects that act on themselves.
- Reciprocal pronouns refer to subjects that act on each other.
| Use | Example |
|---|---|
| Reflexive pronoun | The players patted themselves on the back. [Each player patted their own back.] |
| Dad can take care of himself. [Dad can handle his own care without help.] | |
| Reciprocal pronoun | The players patted each other on the back. [Each player patted another player’s back.] |
| Mom and Dad take care of one another. [Mom takes care of Dad and vice versa.] |
Frequently asked questions about reflexive pronouns
- What is the difference between reflexive and intensive pronouns?
-
Reflexive pronouns and intensive pronouns are the same words, but they have different roles in sentences.
These pronouns include “myself,” “themselves,” and “yourself.”
A reflexive pronoun can be a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition when it refers to the subject of the same sentence (e.g., “Bev ordered pepperoni pizza for herself and vegetarian pizza for her friends”).
An intensive pronoun is not an object in a sentence. Instead, it emphasizes another noun (e.g., “Bev picked up the pizza herself”).
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you use reflexive and intensive pronouns correctly in your writing
- Is it our selves or ourselves?
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Ourselves is always one word, and it can play two roles in sentences.
As a reflexive pronoun, “ourselves” can be a direct object, an indirect object, or an object of a preposition when the subject is “we” or another noun with “I” (e.g., “We should buy ourselves a new sofa”).
As an intensive pronoun, “ourselves” emphasizes a plural, first-person pronoun or noun (e.g., “We will save money if we paint the bedroom ourselves”).
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you use “ourselves” and other reflexive or intensive pronouns correctly in your writing.
- Is himself a pronoun?
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Himself is a reflexive third-person pronoun that refers to a male person. You can use “himself” as an object in a sentence when the same person is the subject (e.g., “My nephew taught himself how to tie his shoes”).
As a reflexive pronoun, “himself” can be a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
“Himself” can also be an intensive pronoun that emphasizes the subject (e.g., “Dev produced the album himself”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use pronouns such as “himself” correctly.
- Is herself a pronoun?
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Herself is a reflexive third-person pronoun that refers to a female person. You can use “herself” as an object in a sentence when the same person is the subject (e.g., “Daphne bought herself a new coat”).
As a reflexive pronoun, “herself” can be a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
“Herself” can also be an intensive pronoun that emphasizes the subject (e.g., “Miley wrote the song herself”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use pronouns such as “herself” correctly.
- Is themselves a pronoun?
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Themselves is a reflexive third-person pronoun. It can be plural or singular. You can use “themselves” as an object in a sentence when the same person or group of people is the subject (e.g., “When the teacher said everyone passed the test, the students gave themselves a round of applause”).
As a reflexive pronoun, “themselves” can be a direct object, indirect object, or object of a preposition.
“Themselves” can also be an intensive pronoun that emphasizes the subject (e.g., “My parents said themselves that they needed a vacation”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use pronouns such as “themselves” correctly.
