Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) are used when the subject and object of a verb refer to the same person. They are also used for emphasis. Confusing them with personal pronouns is a common intermediate-level mistake.
3 subtopics — pick one to start practising
Basic Use — Subject Equals Object
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject performs an action on itself. "She hurt herself." "They blame themselves." The reflexive pronoun must match the subject: I → myself, you → yourself, he → himself, she → herself, it → itself, we → ourselves, you (plural) → yourselves, they → themselves.
Reflexive Pronouns for Emphasis
Reflexive pronouns can also be used for emphasis, meaning "without help" or "in person". "I made this cake myself." (= nobody helped me) "The CEO himself attended the meeting." (= it was impressive that he came). When used for emphasis, the reflexive pronoun can be removed without changing the basic meaning of the sentence.
Common Errors with Reflexive Pronouns
Do not use reflexive pronouns where a personal pronoun is correct. Saying "Please give it to John and myself" instead of "… to John and me" is a hypercorrection — a mistake caused by trying too hard to sound formal. Also, reflexive pronouns cannot be the subject of a sentence: "Myself went to the shop" is wrong.