Reflexive pronouns

The reflexive pronouns are:

Pronouns refer back to a person or thing.
 
Singular: myself - yourself - himself - herself - itself
Plural: ourselves - yourselves - themselves

Use

We use a reflexive pronoun as a direct object when the subject and the object of a verb are the same. :

  • I am teaching myself to play the piano.
  • Be careful with that knife. You might cut yourself.

We often put the reflexive pronoun at the end of the clause when we are using it for emphasis:

  • I baked the bread myself.
  • She mended the car herself


We can use reflexive pronouns to emphasise that someone does it personally, not anybody else.

  • The door was definitely locked. I locked it myself.
  • Are you redecorating your flat yourselves?
 

To emphasise the person or thing we are referring to:

  • Kendal itself is quite a small town.

Especially if we are talking about someone very famous:

  • Sir Paul McCartney himself sang the final song.
 

We use a reflexive pronoun  with the preposition by when we want to show that someone did something alone and/or without any help:

  • He lived by himself in an enormous house.
  • She walked home by herself.
  • The children got dressed by themselves.
  • I prepared the whole meal by myself.

We use reflexive pronouns as the object of a preposition when the object is the same as the subject of the verb:

  • They had to cook for themselves.
  • He was feeling very sorry for himself.      

but we use object pronouns, not reflexives, after prepositions of place:

  • He had a suitcase beside him. (NOT himself)

and after with when it means accompanied by:

  • She had a few friends with her. (NOT herself)

Note

We can use a reflexive pronoun as direct object with most transitive verbs, but these are the most common:

amuse blame cut dry enjoy help
hurt introduce kill prepare satisfy teach


Some verbs change their meaning slightly when they have a reflexive pronoun as direct object:

  • Would you like to help yourself to another drink?
    = Would you like to take another drink.
  • I wish the children would behave themselves.
     = I wish the children would behave well.
  • He found himself lying by the side of the road.
    = He was surprised when he realised that he was at the side of the road.
  • I saw myself as a famous actor.
    = I imagined that I was a famous actor.
  • She applied herself to the job of mending the lights.
    = She worked very hard to mend the lights.
  • He busied himself in the kitchen.
     = He worked busily in the kitchen.
  • I had to content myself with a few Euros.
    = I had to be satisfied with a few Euros.

We do not use a reflexive pronoun after verbs which describe things people usually do for themselves, such as wash, shave, dress:

  • He washed [himself] in cold water.
  • He always shaved [himself] before going out in the evening.
  • Michael dressed [himself] and got ready for the party.
  • We only use reflexives with these verbs for emphasis:
  • He dressed himself in spite of his injuries.
  • She’s old enough to wash herself.

• as indirect object when the indirect object is the same as the subject of the verb:

  • Would you like to pour yourself a drink.
  • We’ve brought ourselves something to eat.

• as the object of a preposition when the object refers to the subject of the clause:

  • They had to cook for themselves.
  • He was feeling very sorry for himself.
Warning

But we use personal pronouns, not reflexives, after prepositions of place...

  • He had a suitcase beside him.

and after with when it means "accompanied by":

  • She had a few friends with her.