Reflexive Pronouns

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    1 Reflexive Pronouns

    We use reflexive pronouns in English when we want to emphasize that someone has done something on their own or that it is only about them:

    • I did it myself!
    • He did it himself!
    • We did it ourselves!

    How do we use reflexive pronouns in a sentence?

    myselfI wrote it myself.
    yourselfDid you build this house yourself?
    himselfHe excused himself.
    herselfShe talks about herself all the time.
    itselfThise mess is not going to clean itself!
    ourselvesDon’t worry! We can do it ourselves.
    yourselvesDid you bake all of these cakes yourselves?
    themselvesI feel like they are not being themselves lately.

    If we add the preposition BY to the reflexive pronouns, it means the same as the phrase ALONE (without the presence of other people):

    • I live by myself.
    • My parents like traveling by themselves.

    We may often see the following phrases:

    • Help yourselves! (take something you want without asking for permission)
    • She is not herself. (to behave in an usual way)
    • Can you introduce yourself? (tell us who you are)
    • Enjoy yourself! (wishing someone to get pleasure from an experience or event)
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    Vendula Nedělová
    She completed her master's degree at the Faculty of Education, Charles University, specializing in English language, music culture, pedagogy, and social pedagogy. She has many years of experience in language teaching in the Czech Republic, USA, Indonesia and Germany. She works as a methodologist and coordinator of language courses in ONLINE learning, where she leads a team of lecturers and the creation of language courses for more than 137 000 students. Vendula follows the motto: “Learning should be fun, because if we enjoy what we do, then it makes sense”.