🗺️ REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS GRAMMAR MAP

REFLEXIVE ACTION (Subject = Object)

Used when the subject and object of the sentence are the SAME person/thing.

(+) Positive myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves

(-) Negative doesn't hurt himself

(?) Question Did you hurt yourself?

EMPHATIC USE & "BY ONESELF" (Alone)

Used for emphasis ("tự tay") or to mean "alone" ("by myself").

(+) Positive I cooked it myself • She lives by herself

(-) Negative didn't do it by himself

(?) Question Did you do it by yourself?

1. Form & Structure

Subject to Reflexive Pronoun Conversion Table

I → myself (I cut myself while cooking.)
You (singular) → yourself (Enjoy yourself!)
He → himself (He introduced himself.)
She → herself (She looked at herself in the mirror.)
It → itself (The cat washed itself.)
We → ourselves (We prepared the meal ourselves.)
You (plural) → yourselves (Please help yourselves, kids!)
They → themselves (They solved the problem themselves.)

Example / Question	Positive / Short Answer	Negative / Short Answer
Reflexive: Subject = Object	He cut himself.	Not: He cut him. (him = someone else)
Alone: by + reflexive	I live by myself.	Means: I live alone

2. Key Rules & Formation

Rule	Base / Standard Form	Applied Form
Singular -self vs Plural -selves	Singular forms end in -self (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself). Plural forms end in -selves (ourselves, yourselves, themselves).	yourself (1 person) vs yourselves (multiple people)

3. Practical Usage & Examples

1. Subject Doing Action to Self

Action turns back onto the subject.

Be careful with that knife or you will cut yourself.

2. Emphatic Accent

Emphasize that the subject did it without help.

The Queen herself attended the ceremony.

4. Signal Words & Usage Context

myselfyourselfhimselfherselfitselfourselvesthemselvesby myself

Structure Alert:

Subject and Object MUST be the exact same entity for reflexive pronouns.

💡 Common Mistakes & Memory Tips

Mistake 1: Saying "by my own" instead of "by myself"
❌ Incorrect: I live by my own.
✓ Correct: I live by myself. (or on my own)
Note: Use "by myself" OR "on my own" (never mix them).

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does "by myself" mean?

"By myself" means completely alone, without anyone else present.

1. Form & Structure

Subject to Reflexive Pronoun Conversion Table

I → myself (I cut myself while cooking.)

You (singular) → yourself (Enjoy yourself!)

He → himself (He introduced himself.)

She → herself (She looked at herself in the mirror.)

It → itself (The cat washed itself.)

We → ourselves (We prepared the meal ourselves.)

You (plural) → yourselves (Please help yourselves, kids!)

They → themselves (They solved the problem themselves.)

Example / Question	Positive / Short Answer	Negative / Short Answer
Reflexive: Subject = Object	He cut himself.	Not: He cut him. (him = someone else)
Alone: by + reflexive	I live by myself.	Means: I live alone

2. Key Rules & Formation

Rule	Base / Standard Form	Applied Form
Singular -self vs Plural -selves	Singular forms end in -self (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself). Plural forms end in -selves (ourselves, yourselves, themselves).	yourself (1 person) vs yourselves (multiple people)

3. Practical Usage & Examples

1. Subject Doing Action to Self

Action turns back onto the subject.

Be careful with that knife or you will cut yourself.

2. Emphatic Accent

Emphasize that the subject did it without help.

The Queen herself attended the ceremony.

Reflexive Pronouns

1. Form & Structure

Subject to Reflexive Pronoun Conversion Table

2. Key Rules & Formation

3. Practical Usage & Examples

1. Subject Doing Action to Self

2. Emphatic Accent

4. Signal Words & Usage Context

💡 Common Mistakes & Memory Tips

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does "by myself" mean?

Reflexive Pronouns

1. Form & Structure

Subject to Reflexive Pronoun Conversion Table

2. Key Rules & Formation

3. Practical Usage & Examples

1. Subject Doing Action to Self

2. Emphatic Accent

4. Signal Words & Usage Context

💡 Common Mistakes & Memory Tips

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What does "by myself" mean?

Other Pronouns lessons

Practice Exercises