Lesson 34: Unit 91 - Reflexive Pronouns
Learn when and how to use reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, etc.) for actions directed at the doer and for emphasis in the sentence.
About this lesson
In this lesson you will learn about reflexive pronouns in English — myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves — and how to use them correctly. You will understand the difference between verbs that require a reflexive pronoun (cut, enjoy, hurt, introduce, kill) and verbs that do not take one in English even when it is used in other languages (wash, dress, shave). You will also see how reflexive pronouns are used for emphasis — for example, "Mary cooked all the food herself". Through authentic dialogues and exercises you will consolidate your knowledge and learn to recognise common mistakes with these pronouns.
40 minutes
What you'll learn
- Recognise and correctly use the reflexive pronouns myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves.
- Know which verbs are normally used with a reflexive pronoun (cut, enjoy, hurt, introduce, kill) and which are not (wash, dress, shave, worry).
- Understand the use of reflexive pronouns for emphasis.
- Recognise and correct common mistakes in the use of pronouns.
- Use expressions such as 'by myself', 'talk to myself', 'express yourself', 'please yourself'.
Lesson vocabulary
- myself I cut myself when I was opening a tin.
- yourself Did you cut yourself?
- himself I suppose he can take care of himself.
- herself She introduced herself.
- itself The cat licked itself.
- ourselves We really enjoyed ourselves.
- themselves They must solve the problem themselves.
- by myself Charles lived by himself in a small house in the mountain.
- talk to oneself I often saw him in the garden talking to himself.
- express yourself You must learn to express yourself in English very well.
- please yourself Shall I go with them or stay? I don't care. Please yourself.
- blame yourself You mustn't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault.
- behave yourself I thought she didn't behave herself at the party last night.
- help yourself There is plenty to eat and drink. Please help yourself.
- shave, dress and go to work He shaved, dressed and went to work.
In other languages: Български