Question 1

How do I choose the correct reflexive pronoun?

Accepted Answer

Start by finding the subject of the sentence, not the nearest noun. Then match the reflexive pronoun to that subject: I myself, you yourself, he himself, she herself, it itself, we ourselves, you plural yourselves, and they themselves. In a sentence like "Maria introduced herself", the name Maria means she, so the answer is herself. In "The players pushed themselves", the players means they, so the answer is themselves. Those examples focus on that matching skill in short, clear sentences.

Question 2

When do English sentences need myself or yourself?

Accepted Answer

Use a reflexive pronoun when the person who does the action also receives the action. If you cut your own finger, you cut yourself. If I tell my own mind to stay calm, I tell myself. If the children put on their own costumes, they dress themselves. The reflexive makes it clear that the action returns to the subject. It is different from an object pronoun: "She looked at her" means she looked at another female person, but "She looked at herself" means she looked in a mirror.

Question 3

Is yourself singular or plural in this exercise?

Accepted Answer

Yourself is singular, so it refers to one person. Yourselves is plural, so it refers to a group. The sentence usually gives you a clue. "Be careful with that saw" normally addresses one person, so the answer is yourself. "Please help yourselves to some tea and biscuits, everyone" clearly addresses several people, so the answer is yourselves. Modern English uses you for both singular and plural, which is why this distinction matters in reflexive pronouns and in polite classroom instructions.

Basic Reflexive Pronouns - Easy

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Basic Reflexive Pronouns - Advanced

Reflexive vs Non-Reflexive - Easy

Reflexive vs Non-Reflexive - Intermediate

Reflexive vs Non-Reflexive - Advanced

By Myself / By Yourself

Each Other vs Themselves