Reflexive Pronoun Examples

Pronouns, one of the eight parts of speech, replace nouns in a sentence. There are several types of pronouns, including personal pronouns (i.e. I, you, me, they) and possessive pronouns (i.e. my, your, ours, theirs). One type of pronoun is the reflexive pronoun. Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and an object or indirect object in the sentence are the same. Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves. These are the reflexive pronouns in the English language:

myself, yourself, yourselves, oneself, itself, themselves, herself, himself, ourselves

An example of a reflexive pronoun used as a direct object:

I hated myself for not taking advantage of the extra credit the teacher offered. (Who did I hate? Myself)

An example of a reflexive pronoun used as an indirect object:

My mother poured herself a glass of juice before sitting down at the table.

Examples of Reflexive Pronouns in Sentences:

1. It is difficult to teach oneself how to play an instrument.
2. Don't think too highly of yourself-pride goes before a fall.
3. I was unsure of myself when asked to give a speech on technology.
4. Can you put yourself to bed, or do you need some help?
5. The children occupied themselves by creating art out of scraps from the recycling bin.
6. The ballerina watched herself in the mirror as she practiced the move over and over.
7. The baseball player bought himself a new car with his signing bonus.
8. The cat bathed itself while sitting on the front porch steps in the setting sun.
9. Don't forget to put sunscreen on yourselves before going out at the beach.
10. The boy decided to play with himself after his friends went home for dinner.
11. Be kind to yourself, even if you don't come in first place today.