These pronoun are formed by adding ‘-self’ or ‘-selves’ to the possessive adjective of the first and second person and to the objective form of the personal pronoun of he third person.
I – myself you – yourself / yourselves
She – herself we – ourselves
He – himself they – themselves
It – itself
One – oneself
(a) Used the reflexive pronoun as the direct or indirect object of the verb in the sentence :
– He pinched himself to make sure that he was not dreaming. (direct object).
– She bought herself a pair of shoes. (indirect object)
(b) Used after a preposition :
– He grumbled to himself
– They are feeling sorry for them selves.
– She was talking to herself to the corner.
(c) With the verb ‘to be’ :
– She’ll soon be herself again.
– I’m sorry – I wasn’t quite myself yesterday.
(d) Sometimes used to replace a personal pronoun :
– How many people were on the bus including yourself?
– All of them went home except herself.
(e) The empathic pronoun, though having exactly the same form as the reflexive pronoun, has a different function. An empathic pronoun is always strongly stressed and used mainly to emphasize the subject :
– I made the cake myself
– They themselves suggested that the piano be moved in to the next room.
– (The emphatic pronoun can be left out without damaging the sense of the sentence)
