Reflexive and

Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive sounds like reflection, the image the
mirror that bounces back at you. A reflexive
pronoun tells us that whoever performs the action
in a sentence is also the one on the receiving end
of that action. In other words, the reflexive
pronoun reflects back to the subject . A reflexive
pronoun can be used as the direct object, indirect
object, or object of a preposition in a sentence.
 Reflexive Pronouns
Singular Plural
myself Ourselves
yourself Yourselves

Himself Themselves
Herself Themselves
itself themselves
• The puppy saw itself in the mirror.

• Itself is the direct object in the sentence. The

pronoun itself refers back to the subject. The

puppy saw the puppy in the mirror.

 Intensive is like intense . Something intense is

very strong. An intensive pronoun emphasizes a

preceding noun, which is often (but not always)

the noun immediately before the sentence.

 Reflexive Intensive

The queen bought herself a The queen bought the dog

dog. herself.

The queen bought The intensive pronoun

something for herself. She is herself merely emphasizes
both completing and the fact that the queen (not
receiving the action in the someone else) was the one
sentence. who bought the dog.