Reflexive pronouns — myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves — are used in two main situations: when the subject and object of a sentence refer to the same person (she hurt herself), and for emphasis (I did it myself). They are also frequently misused: many learners, and some teachers, use 'myself' or 'yourself' in place of 'I' or 'me' because it sounds formal or polite. This is incorrect. Understanding when reflexive pronouns are needed — and when they are not — is an important part of grammatical accuracy.
Before you start — think honestly about your own teaching and experience.
Look at the examples. Answer each question before reading the explanation — this is how your students will learn too.
In each sentence, who performs the action and who receives it? Are they the same person or different people?
In each sentence, the subject and object refer to the same person or thing: the student cut the student / the teacher prepared the teacher / the school rebuilt the school. When the action bounces back on the person doing it, English uses a reflexive pronoun. This is the core reflexive use: subject and object are the same. The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject: he → himself, she → herself, it → itself, they → themselves, we → ourselves. Without the reflexive pronoun, the sentence either sounds incomplete ('the student cut') or has a different meaning ('the teacher prepared her' — meaning she prepared another woman). The reflexive pronoun is not optional in these cases.
In these sentences, is the reflexive pronoun receiving the action? Or is it doing something else? Try removing it — does the sentence still make complete sense?
In these sentences, the reflexive pronoun is not the object of the verb — the subject is not doing something to themselves. Instead, the reflexive pronoun is being used for emphasis: it intensifies or draws attention to who did the action. 'I made these materials myself' emphasises that I did it, not someone else. 'The head teacher herself attended' emphasises the importance of her personal presence. The emphasis use is optional — removing the reflexive pronoun leaves a grammatically complete sentence. The reflexive use (where subject and object are the same) is obligatory — removing it changes the meaning or makes the sentence incomplete. This distinction between obligatory (reflexive) and optional (emphatic) is the key to using these pronouns correctly.
A: Myself and the head teacher will be attending.
B: The head teacher and I will be attending. ✓
These examples show 'myself' used incorrectly. What is wrong with each one? What should replace 'myself'?
These sentences show one of the most common reflexive pronoun errors in English — using 'myself' as a polite-sounding substitute for 'I' or 'me'. 'Please send it to myself' is incorrect: the subject of the sentence is 'you' (the person being addressed), and there is no reflexive relationship — the subject and object are different people. The object pronoun 'me' is needed. 'Myself and the head teacher will be attending' is incorrect: 'myself' cannot be a subject — subject pronouns (I) are needed in subject position. This error is common in professional and formal speech, which means learners may hear it from educated speakers and think it is correct. It is important to address it explicitly.'
| Form | Use / Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject pronoun | Reflexive/emphatic pronoun | Example |
| I | myself | I taught myself to read music. |
| you (singular) | yourself | Did you hurt yourself? |
| he | himself | He prepared himself for the lesson. |
| she | herself | She introduced herself to the inspector. |
| it | itself | The school rebuilt itself after the fire. |
| we | ourselves | We organised the event ourselves. |
| you (plural) | yourselves | Help yourselves to the materials. |
| they | themselves | The students marked their own work themselves. |
VERBS THAT COMMONLY TAKE REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Some verbs are very frequently used with reflexive pronouns in English. Knowing these as chunks is useful for learners: introduce yourself, help yourself, enjoy yourself, hurt yourself, teach yourself, prepare yourself, express yourself, behave yourself. These are high-frequency verb + reflexive combinations that learners can learn as ready-made phrases. When learners know these patterns, they are less likely to omit the reflexive pronoun where it is needed.
VERBS THAT DO NOT NEED REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS
Some verbs that take reflexive pronouns in other languages do not take them in English. For example: 'She washed' (not 'she washed herself' — unless the emphasis is specifically on self-washing rather than washing something else). 'I feel better now' (not 'I feel myself better'). 'He shaved' (can be 'he shaved himself' but the reflexive is often dropped). In English, many everyday self-care actions can be expressed without the reflexive pronoun because the context makes the meaning clear. This is the opposite situation from the 'myself for me' error — learners sometimes add reflexive pronouns where they are not needed.
BY + REFLEXIVE PRONOUN = ALONE
'By myself', 'by yourself', 'by himself', etc. means alone or without help. This is a fixed, common expression worth teaching alongside the reflexive pronoun lesson: 'She corrected the work by herself.' 'The children walked to school by themselves.' 'I cannot do this by myself — I need support.'
WHEN IS A REFLEXIVE PRONOUN NEEDED? - Is the subject of the sentence doing something to themselves? → Reflexive pronoun required. - Is the reflexive pronoun being used for emphasis only? → Optional — can be removed without changing the basic meaning. - Is 'myself' being used instead of 'me' or 'I'? → Incorrect — replace with the correct pronoun. - Does the reflexive form match the subject? → I → myself / he → himself / they → themselves (not 'hisself' or 'theirselves'). - Does 'by + reflexive pronoun' appear? → This means alone or without help — it is a fixed expression.
Choose the correct pronoun to complete each sentence — a reflexive pronoun, a subject pronoun, or an object pronoun.
Each sentence has one reflexive pronoun error. Write the correct sentence and explain the mistake.
Use this sequence directly in class — guided discovery, no textbook needed. Tap each step to mark it done.
STEP 1 — SAME PERSON? (6 minutes): Write two sentences on the board: 'The teacher helped the student' and 'The teacher helped herself.' Ask: 'In the first sentence, are the teacher and the student the same person? In the second, are the teacher and herself the same person?' Establish that when the subject and object are the same person, a reflexive pronoun is needed. Give three more examples and ask learners to identify whether the subject and object are the same.
STEP 2 — BUILD THE TABLE (5 minutes): Build the reflexive pronoun table with the class. Say the subject pronoun and ask learners to give the reflexive form: I → myself, he → himself, they → themselves. Draw attention to non-standard forms to avoid: 'hisself', 'theirselves'. Write the standard forms clearly on the board.
STEP 3 — REFLEXIVE OR EMPHATIC? (7 minutes): Write six sentences — three with reflexive use (needed, cannot be removed) and three with emphatic use (optional, can be removed). Ask learners to remove the reflexive pronoun from each sentence and decide: does the sentence still make complete sense? If yes, it is emphatic. If no, it is reflexive. This activity develops the practical distinction between the two uses.
STEP 4 — THE MYSELF ERROR (7 minutes): Write three sentences on the board using 'myself' incorrectly as a substitute for 'me' or 'I'. Ask learners: 'Is the subject and the object the same person?' Guide them to see that the reflexive relationship does not exist in these sentences. Replace with the correct pronoun. Explain that this error is common in formal speech and writing but is incorrect.
STEP 5 — PRODUCE AND CHECK (5 minutes): Ask learners to write four sentences: two using a reflexive pronoun correctly (same subject and object) and two using an emphatic pronoun (for stress). Swap with a partner and check whether the reflexive pronoun is appropriate in each case. Share two or three with the class.
Use directly in class — copy, adapt, or read aloud. No printing needed.
For each strategy, choose the option that best describes where you are now.
Your feedback helps other teachers and helps us improve TeachAnyClass.