#22. Reflexive Pronouns, Formation and usage in English language

 Lesson No.21

Reflexive Pronouns, Formation and usage in English language

Reflexive pronouns are words that reflect back to the subject of the sentence and indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself. They are formed by adding "-self" to certain personal pronouns (e.g., myself, yourself) or "-selves" to others (e.g., ourselves, yourselves). In English, the reflexive pronouns are: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.

How Reflexive Pronouns are formed in English

Reflexive Pronouns in English language, are formed by adding "-self" to singular personal pronouns (e.g., myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself) and "-selves" to plural personal pronouns (e.g., ourselves, yourselves, themselves). This formation reflects the idea that the subject of the sentence is performing the action on itself. For example, "I hurt myself" (singular), "We taught ourselves" (plural).

The formation is as follows:

• Singular reflexive pronouns: "myself", "yourself", "himself", "herself", "itself".
• Plural reflexive pronouns: "ourselves", "yourselves", "themselves".

Examples:

• "I saw myself in the mirror." (singular)
• "We baked the cake ourselves." (plural)
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The Usage of Reflexive Pronouns in English

Reflexive Pronouns are used in English to indicate that the subject of a sentence is performing an action on itself. They are commonly used in the following ways:

• Emphasis:

To emphasize the subject and its actions. For example, "I did it myself."

• Intensive pronouns:

To add emphasis to a noun or pronoun and indicate that the action is performed by the subject. For example, "He himself admitted to the mistake."

• Reciprocal actions:

To indicate mutual or reciprocal actions between two or more people. For example, "They helped each other."

• Passive sentences:

To show that the subject is receiving the action, instead of performing it. For example, "The cake was baked by me."

• Reflexive verbs:

To indicate that the action of the verb is being performed by the subject on itself. For example, "She dressed herself."

It's important to note that reflexive pronouns should not be used without a clear purpose or meaning in a sentence, as they can make a sentence redundant or unclear.

How Reflexive Pronouns Work as Pronouns in English

Reflexive pronouns work as pronouns in the English language by referring back to the subject of a sentence. They serve to emphasize the subject and indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself.

For example, in the sentence "I saw myself in the mirror," the reflexive pronoun "myself" refers back to the subject "I" and emphasizes that the action of "seeing" is being performed by the subject on itself.

Reflexive pronouns are used in conjunction with verb forms to convey the reflexive action. In many cases, reflexive verbs are used in conjunction with reflexive pronouns to indicate that the subject is performing the action on itself.

In summary, reflexive pronouns function as pronouns in English by referring back to the subject and indicating that the subject is performing the action on itself.

Here are some examples to illustrate how reflexive pronouns work as pronouns in English:

1. Emphasis: "I did it myself." (Here, "myself" is used to emphasize that the speaker did the action, not someone else.)

2. Reciprocal actions: "They helped each other." (Here, "each other" is a reflexive pronoun that indicates a reciprocal action between two people.)

3. Intensive pronoun: "She herself admitted to the mistake." (Here, "herself" is used as an intensive pronoun to add emphasis to the noun "she.")

4. Passive sentences: "The cake was baked by me." (Here, "by me" is a reflexive pronoun that shows the subject of the sentence, "cake," is receiving the action, not performing it.)

5. Reflexive verbs: "He shaved himself." (Here, "himself" is used to indicate that the subject of the sentence is performing the action of the verb "shaved" on itself.)

In each of these examples, the reflexive pronoun serves a different purpose, but they all reflect back to the subject and show that the subject is performing the action on itself.

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