What is a Reflexive Pronoun?

In English, a pronoun is a word (such as "you," "she" or "it") that is used instead of a noun or
noun phrase. Pronouns refer to a noun that has been mentioned already (called the antecedent) or
to a noun that does not need to be named specifically. Here are a few examples of pronouns: I,
me, he, she, you, it, that, they, each, few, many, who, whoever, whose, someone, and everybody.
A reflexive pronoun is a specific type of pronoun (like "herself," for instance), that refers back
to the subject of a sentence or clause. The English word "reflexive" is drawn from the Latin
term reflexivus, which means "to turn back or to reflect." A reflective pronoun is like a mirror
that "reflects" back to the subject of the sentence. A reflexive pronoun emphasizes that the
subject and the object of the verb are the same.
Sentences utilizing reflexive pronouns use transitive verbs. A transitive verb is a verb that can
take a direct object. In other words, the action of a transitive verb is done to someone or to
something. "Love," "eat," "teach," "buy," "open," and "catch" are some examples of transitive
verbs.
The following sentence contains a reflexive pronoun and a transitive verb:

 Jenna taught herself to play the guitar.

In the sentence "Jenna taught herself to play the guitar," the word "Jenna" is the subject and the
word "herself" is the reflexive pronoun that indicates who Jenna taught to play the guitar.
"Herself" indicates that the subject receiving the action of the transitive verb (taught) is Jenna,
who is also the subject of the sentence.
Jenna taught herself to play the guitar is an example of a sentence
containing a reflexive pronoun (herself).

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause and are formed by adding -
self (in the singular case) or -selves (in the plural case) to a personal pronoun or possessive
adjective. The English language utilizes six singular reflexive pronouns and three plural reflexive
pronouns, as listed below:
Singular Reflexive Pronouns (Six in Total)

 myself
 yourself
 himself
 herself
 itself
 oneself

Plural Reflexive Pronouns (Three in Total)

 ourselves
 yourselves
  themselves

Uses of Reflexive Pronouns and Examples

Reflexive pronouns refer, or reflect, back to the subject of the sentence. They emphasize that the
subject and the object of the verb are the same.
It's important to note that a reflexive pronoun should not be used to replace the subject or object
of a sentence. It merely emphasizes a noun or pronoun that has already been mentioned. For
example, a person would not say: "Myself went to the aquarium." "I" (not "myself") would be
the correct subject in this sentence.

Basic Reflexive Pronouns: Four Uses

In the English language, a reflexive pronoun may be used in four different ways:

 as a direct object
 as an indirect object
 as a prepositional object
 as an intensifier

Reflexive Pronouns as Direct Objects

A direct object is the noun, noun phrase (or another part of speech acting as a noun) that receives
the action of the verb. A direct object will always follow a transitive verb. The basic construction
of a sentence with a direct object works according to this basic formula:
Subject + Transitive Verb + Who or What Receives the Action.
Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of the sentence. They emphasize that the subject and
the object of the verb are the same. Here are a few examples of sentences using reflexive
pronouns as direct objects:

 At the airport, we bought ourselves some books and magazines to read on the plane.

 My brother taught himself how to play chess.
 Jackson's laptop hibernates itself after 30 minutes of inactivity.

Here are some more sample sentences in which reflexive pronouns are used as direct objects:

 Leilani taught herself how to play the ukulele.

 If you're hungry, make yourself a sandwich.
 Give yourself  credit for being such an intelligent person.
 We can drive ourselves to the movie.

Reflexive Pronouns as Indirect Objects

Reflexive pronouns also may serve as indirect objects when the indirect object is the same as the
subject of the verb. For example:

 Jose and Marisela bought snacks for themselves to share. (The direct object is "snacks";
the indirect object is "themselves.")
 Would you like to fix a picnic lunch for yourself to take on the field trip? (The direct
object is "a picnic lunch"; the indirect object is "yourself.")

Reflexive Pronouns as Prepositional Objects

A reflexive pronoun is not always used immediately after the verb, but may be used as a
prepositional object. This means that the reflexive pronoun may follow a preposition like of , for,
or to. Prepositions are words that relate to placement or direction. A preposition is used before a
noun or pronoun to mark its relationship to the rest of the sentence. Here are some of the most
common prepositions in English:

 about
 above
 across
 after
 against
 among
 around
 at
 before
 behind
 below
 beside
 between
 by
 down
 during
 for
 from
 in
 inside
 into
 near
 of
 off
 on
 out
 over
 through
 to
  toward
 under
 up
 with

How are reflexive pronouns used?

Reflexive pronouns generally refer back to the subject of the sentence, and they emphasize the
subject and object of the verb as one. For example: Jake made himself a sandwich for lunch. The
word himself refers back to Jake, who is the subject of the sentence.
What is reflexive pronoun and give 5 examples?
A reflexive pronoun is used as an object when the subject of a sentence and its object are the
same person or thing. These reflexive pronouns always end in -self or -selves. In general,
reflexive pronouns are used when a person or persons are performing an action on themselves.
For example, "Chloe fell off the monkey bars and hurt herself."
The English language includes nine reflexive pronouns:
myself
yourself
himself
herself
oneself
itself
ourselves
yourselves
themselves