Page 161 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

R e f l e x i v e p r o n o u n s : h e r s e l f , n i m s e i r ,
t h e m s e l v e s , e t c .

When the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing, we use a reflexive
pronoun as the object rather than a personal pronoun. Compare:
• She forced her to eat it. ('she' and 'her' refer to different people) and
• She forced herself to eat it. ('she' and 'herself' refer to the same person)
The singular forms of reflexive pronouns are myself, yourself, herself, himself, itself; the plural
forms are ourselves, yourselves, themselves. Some people use themselves (or themself) to refer to
the subject of the sentence, to avoid saying whether the subject is male or female:
• It is a situation that no doctor wants to find themselves {or themself) in.

We can use reflexive pronouns for emphasis. For example, after an intransitive verb to emphasise
the subject; after the subject or object (when the verb is transitive) or after the verb (intransitive)
to emphasise that something is done without help; and after a noun to emphasise that noun:
) • We phoned the plumber and he came himself, (he didn't send his employees)
-
• • I hope you like the ice cream 1 made it myself, (nobody helped me)
• I was given this book by the author herself, (by her personally)
We use reflexive pronouns to emphasise that the subject caused a certain action. Compare:
• He got arrested, and • He got himself arrested. (= he did something to cause it)
We use reflexive pronouns with a meaning similar to 'also':
• John said he was feeling ill. I was feeling pretty bad myself.

Some verbs are rarely or never used with a reflexive pronoun in English, but often are in other
languages. These include complain, concentrate, get up/hot/tired, lie down, meet, relax,
remember, sit down, wake up:
• She concentrated hard on getting the job finished, {not She concentrated herself...)
With some verbs we only use a reflexive pronoun when we want to emphasise particularly that
the subject is doing the action. Compare:
• She quickly dressed and went down for breakfast, {rather than ...dressed herself...) and
• He's recovering well from the accident and he is now able to dress himself.
Other verbs like this include shave, undress, wash; acclimatise, adapt; behave, hide, move.

After a preposition of place or position we use a personal pronoun, not a reflexive pronoun:
• She put her bag next to her. • Jim had the money with him.
After prepositions closely linked to their verbs we use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and
object refer to the same thing:
• He came out of the interview looking pleased with himself, {not ...pleased with him.)
Other verb + prepositions like this include be ashamed of, believe in, care about, do with, hear
about, look after, look at, take care of.

Some verbs describe actions in which two or more people or things do the same thing to the
other(s). We use each other or one another with these:
• We looked at each other / one another and started to laugh.
• Peter and Jenny met (each other) in 1992. ('each other' is often left out if the meaning is
clear from the context)
Other verbs like this include attract, avoid, complement, embrace, face, fight, help, kiss, marry,
meet, repel. With some verbs we have to use with before each other / one another:
• The scheme allows students from many countries to communicate with each other.
Other verbs like this include agree, coincide, collaborate, compete, contrast, co-operate,
disagree, joke, mix, quarrel, talk.