Reflexive Pronouns: Examples & Exercises

Reflexive pronouns are words that show that the subject and the object of the verb are the same person or thing. In other words, the action goes back to the subject. They are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves.

Go to Exercises – click here

Download PNG

Download PDF

Uses of a Reflexive Pronoun
Reflexive Pronouns Table
Reflexive Pronouns Exercises

Uses of a Reflexive Pronoun

Firstly, we often use these pronouns with actions that people do to their own body or for their own benefit. Check the examples below:

I cut myself.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
He taught himself to play guitar.

We also use them to mean “alone” or “without help.” For example:

I did the homework myself. (No one helped me.)
They organized the event themselves.

They can also refer to things, not only people:

The door closed itself.
The building protected itself from the storm.

It is important not to use these pronouns when the subject and object are different people. We say:

She helped me (not helped myself).

Reflexive Pronouns Table

Reflexive Pronouns	Example
myself	I hurt myself while cooking.
yourself	Did you finish the work yourself?
himself	He fixed the car himself.
herself	She prepared the meal herself.
itself	The dog entertained itself with a toy.
ourselves	We enjoyed ourselves at the party.
yourselves	You should take care of yourselves.
themselves	They built the house themselves.

These pronouns help make meaning clearer, especially when we want to speak about independence, responsibility, or that the action returns to the subject. With practice, they become very natural in everyday English. Check the exercises below.

Reflexive Pronouns Exercises

EXERCISE: Reflexive Pronouns – Write the correct pronoun

Write the correct pronouns according to the hint.

1 / 10

You controlled .