What Is a Reflexive Pronoun With Example?
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Pronouns can be considered as a replacement for a noun. To put it simply, a pronoun is a word that functions as a noun phrase and represents someone or something mentioned in the discourse. First, a clear-cut knowledge of pronouns is needed. The reflexive nature of pronouns can be explained with orders ending with ''-self'' or ''-selves''. In this article, we will discuss reflexive pronouns, their usage, and their properties.
What Is A Reflexive Pronoun?
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that is used for the object of a verb when it denotes a similar noun as the subject of that verb itself. Simply, reflexive pronouns can be determined by the words ending with ''-self'' or ''-selves''. Some examples of such pronouns are ''myself'', ''himself'', ''herself'', etc. In the English language, there are nine such reflexive pronouns. The list has words such as myself, yourself, himself, herself, oneself, itself, ourselves etc.
Use Of Reflexive Pronouns As Direct And Indirect Objects
These pronouns can be used both as a direct and indirect object. In the case of its use as a direct object, the subject and the direct object should be the same in the sentence. Similarly, reflexive pronouns can also be used as an indirect object in a sentence. Consider these examples for better understanding.
"Rahul decided to reward himself with a weekend trip." - In this sentence ''Rahul'' is the subject. Along with being the subject, it is also the direct object of the ''reward''. Thus we can use the pronoun ''himself'', which is a reflexive one. This is the case where reflexive pronouns are used as direct objects.
Similarly, to understand the use of reflexive pronouns as indirect objects, let us consider the following sentences -
''Helen pours a cup of coffee for me every evening''.
''Helen pours a cup of coffee for herself every evening''.
In the above sentence, it can be noted that the same noun has been referred to twice as the object and the subject. That is where the reflexive pronoun ''herself'' comes into play and functions as an indirect object.
Common Mistakes Associated With Reflexive Pronouns
Certain sectors show proper misuse of reflexive pronouns. The most common error is usually seen when such pronouns are used incorrectly in compound objects or compound subjects in a particular sentence. Understand this with an example. Consider the sentence,
''Antonio and myself will speak in today's meetin''.
The sentence is incorrect as the word ''myself'' clearly is not a part of the compound subject, which is Antonio and the speaker. Now try to remove Antonio from the sentence and check whether what remains works out perfectly.
''Myself will speak in today's meeting''.
It is clear that ''myself'' is out of place over here and does not work. But the subject pronoun ''I'' will work. Consider the variations of the above two sentences with ''I''. And, it turns out that these sentences are working out perfectly.
''I will speak in today's meeting''.
''Antonio and I will speak in today's meeting''.
The improper use of reflexive pronouns as objects is relevant in today's businesses. Consider the following sentence, which is incorrect as the sentence subject is you while indirect objects are the speaker and Mr. Smith.
''You may submit your reports to Mr. Smith or myself by this Friday''.
Once you take Mr. Smith out of the context, it's clear that ''myself'' is not working out, but the object pronoun ''me'' will work. The correct sentence is given below,
''You may submit your reports to Mr. Smith or me by this Friday''.
FAQs on Reflexive Pronouns
1. Explain what is a reflexive pronoun with example.
The word reflexive means to reflect on the subject just like a mirror. The use of a reflexive pronoun comes into play when we want to deliver back to the main subject of a clause or a sentence. Such pronouns usually end in the singular "-self" version or plural "-selves" version. The singular pronouns are yourself, myself, herself, himself, and itself. At the same time, the plural ones are ourselves, themselves, and yourselves. This is the total list of reflexive pronouns, and we have eight of them. Let us take a look at a few sentences where these pronouns have been used.
''My cat hurt itself''.
''Why do you go on blaming yourself''?
''Mani sent himself a bucket of water''.
2. How can reflexive pronouns be used as intensive pronouns?
Any reflexive pronouns which are used to emphasize or put pressure on the antecedent or subject in a sentence is known as an intensive pronoun. These are often used keeping the sense "and not someone or something else" in mind. Even if you remove the intensive pronoun from the sentence you have used it in, the meaning of the sentence will more or less remain the same. So, it's not very difficult to identify whether a word ending with -self or -selves or any reflexive pronoun is being used as an intensive pronoun. Below we have a few examples of intensive pronoun usage.
''The Prime Minister himself asked everyone to be at peace''.
''She decided to speak to me herself''.
''They themselves asked us to do this''.
3. How can reflexive pronouns be used as both indirect and direct objects?
The direct object and subject must be in the same sentence, in the case of using the reflexive pronoun as a direct object. Similarly, it can also be used as an indirect object. Examples can help us understand these better.
''Manila decided to reward herself with a bowl of fruit.'' Here, in this sentence, Manila is the direct object of reward as well as the subject of the sentence. Herself is the reflexive pronoun that we have used here as a direct object.
Now consider the sentences,
''Ravi pours a cup of tea for me every morning''.
''Ravi pours a cup of tea for himself every morning''.
Here the same noun has been referred to twice as subject and object. It is where the pronoun himself functions as an indirect object.
