Suffix · forms reflexive pronouns
Forms reflexive and emphatic pronouns: my + self = myself.
Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated
The suffix -self (singular) and -selves (plural) combines with possessive or personal pronouns to create reflexive and emphatic pronouns. Reflexive: shows that the subject and object of the action are the same person. "She hurt herself" = She hurt her own self. Emphatic: stresses that someone did something personally, without help. "I did it myself" = I did it, not anyone else.
myself yourself (singular) himself herself itself ourselves yourselves (plural) themselves The pattern: singular = -self, plural = -selves.
1. Reflexive (subject acts on itself): "He burned himself cooking." 2. Emphatic (the subject did it personally): "The president himself signed it." "I made this myself." 3. "By + oneself" = alone, without company or help: "She lives by herself." "Do it by yourself."
Possessive or personal pronoun + self (singular) / selves (plural).
Note the change from "them" → "themselves" (not "theirselves", which is a very common error). And "yourself" is singular; "yourselves" is plural (when talking to more than one person).
-self / -selves/sɛlf/ singular · /sɛlvz/ plural
Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.
"themselves" comes from "them", not "their". "Theirselves" does not exist in standard English.
Written and pronounced as one word: himself, herself. Not "his self" or "her self".
When subject and object are the same person, use the reflexive: "I saw myself". "I saw me" sounds very strange.
A trick to remember it
Two key uses: reflexive ("She hurt herself") and emphatic ("I did it myself"). And "by myself/yourself/himself..." means "alone, without anyone's help".
Exercise 1 · Form the word
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
What is the plural reflexive of "you"?
Exercise 3 · Pick the right one
"She lives by herself" means...
The suffix -self / -selves forms reflexive and emphatic pronouns: my + self = myself. In Spanish it usually maps to me/te/se/nos/os/se (reflexivos).
The ending -self / -selves is pronounced /sɛlf/ singular · /sɛlvz/ plural. For example, "myself".
"my" becomes "myself". It is a typical example of the -self / -selves suffix.
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