What are reflexive pronouns and when are they used?

Reflexive pronouns are a specific type of pronoun that are used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. These pronouns are formed by adding the suffix "-self" to the corresponding personal pronoun, such as "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," "ourselves," "yourselves," and "themselves."

Reflexive pronouns are used in various situations:

1. To emphasize the subject: Reflexive pronouns can be used to emphasize the subject of a sentence. For example, "I myself completed the project" or "She herself cooked dinner."

2. To indicate that the subject performs an action on itself: Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of a sentence performs an action on itself. For instance, "He cut himself while shaving" or "They taught themselves how to play the guitar."

3. To show reciprocal actions: Reflexive pronouns are used to express actions that two or more subjects do to each other. For example, "They introduced themselves to each other" or "We congratulated ourselves on our success."

4. To avoid repetition: Reflexive pronouns are used to avoid repeating the subject of a sentence. For instance, instead of saying "John washed John's car," we can say "John washed his car."

5. After certain prepositions: Reflexive pronouns are used after certain prepositions like "by," "with," "for," "among," etc. For example, "She is proud of herself" or "He went to the party by himself."

It is important to note that reflexive pronouns can only be used when the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing. Using them incorrectly can lead to confusion or grammatical errors. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the context and the relationship between the subject and the object before using reflexive pronouns.