Reflexive Pronouns

The words that help in describing a Noun repeatedly in a sentence are Pronouns. Pronouns are used by us often. These are regularly used while conversing in our daily lives. 

Pronouns replace the nouns and the noun is known as its Antecedent. Pronouns are always coordinated with their antecedent. Otherwise, the sentence would become vague. For instance, 

“He stays in Delhi.”

Here, the first question that arises in the reader’s mind is who stays in Delhi? Now, consider the following example. 

“My brother is Akhil. He stays in Delhi.” 

In the above-given case, there is no need to name the “he” in the second sentence. This is because it is already known from the first sentence. Here, “he” replaces the Noun “Akhil”. Therefore, when pronouns coordinate with Antecedents, the sentence makes clearer sense to the reader. 

A pronoun is an important part of speech. In the English language, pronouns play an integral role by making the sentence clearer and giving it context. For example- “Shubham introduced himself.” In this case, “himself” is the Pronoun. The use of these works makes it more understandable to the reader. The Pronouns are of nine types. Each of these nine types has its own importance and understanding. The above-mentioned case is a Reflexive pronoun example. Reflexive Pronouns are one of the nine types of Pronouns. 

Let us understand what is Reflexive Pronoun in detail. 

Reflexive Pronouns

The Reflexive Pronoun definition states that it works like an Object and refers to a noun as a subject in a sentence. Reflexive Pronouns are special types of Pronouns as they aim to describe a Noun, both as an Object and a Subject in a sentence. The object in a sentence deals with a thing or an individual upon which the actions of verbs are performed. On the other hand, Subjects in a sentence deal with the noun or pronouns that perform the actions of the Verb. Therefore, Reflexive pronouns do both these jobs. However, we must keep in mind that using Reflexive Pronouns with Compound Objects and Subjects is incorrect. 

Let us understand this using some Reflexive Pronoun Examples. 

• “Sulekha loves herself”

In the above given example, “Sulekha” is both the Subject and Object in the Sentence. This is an example of a Reflexive Pronoun because the same individual is referred to as the Subject in the sentence. The Reflexive Pronoun used here is “herself”.

• “Would you like to treat yourself with a self-care day?”

Here, “you” and “yourself” in the sentence are indicating the same individual. However, the object in this sentence is an indirect object. The Reflexive Pronoun used in this sentence is “yourself”

• “I went to the states by myself”

In the above given reflexive pronoun example, the subject and the object are indicating the same individuals. The Reflexive pronoun used here is “me”. This pronoun is used along with the preposition “by”. The usage of the preposition with the reflexive pronoun indicates that the work was done without any exterior help. However, Reflexive Pronouns should not be used after a preposition. 

The words used in describing Reflexive Pronouns include the following- Myself, Himself, Herself, Ourselves, Ourself, Yourself, Itself, Themselves, etc. Usually, these special type of pronouns ends with “-self” or “-selves”. 

Now that we have understood what is Reflexive pronoun is, let us briefly look into the types of Reflexive pronouns. 

Types of Reflexive pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns can be headed under the following categories:

Singular Reflexive pronouns- As the name suggests, Singular Reflexive Pronouns describe one individual or thing. These Pronouns are myself- Myself, Herself, Himself, Itself, and me. Singular Reflexive Pronouns end with “-self”. For example:

• “Please take proper care of yourself”

• “Suhana is proud of herself”

• “Rahul introduced himself through his family”

Plural Reflexive Pronouns- As the name suggests, Plural Reflexive Pronouns describe plural things, that is, more than one individual or thing. These pronouns are- Themselves, Ourselves, Yourselves. Plural Reflexive Pronouns end with “-selves”. For example:

• “One must not be harsh on themselves”
• “We were angry at ourselves for not reaching the hospital soon enough”

Conclusion

Pronouns are important parts of Speech. They play an essential role in the English language. It gives context and helps in stopping the repetition of the Nouns in a sentence. Pronouns replace the nouns and this replacement is known as Antecedent. However, pronouns also need to coordinate with their antecedent, to make the sentence meaningful. There are nine types of Pronouns and out of these nine, Reflexive pronouns are the most special ones. The Reflexive Pronoun definition states that it works like an Object and refers to a noun as a subject in a sentence. Usually, these special type of pronouns ends with “-self” or “-selves”. Reflexive Pronouns are of two types- Singular and Plural.