Collins Cobuild English Grammar (20 page)

Some verbs are very frequently used with reflexive pronouns. For information about these, see paragraphs
3.26
to
3.31
.

Here is a table of reflexive pronouns:

BE CAREFUL

1.112
  Unlike personal pronouns and possessive pronouns, there are two forms of the reflexive pronoun used for the second person. You use
yourself
when you are talking to one person. You use
yourselves
when you are talking to more than one person, or referring to a group that includes the person you are talking to.

used as object

1.113
  You use a reflexive pronoun to make it clear that the object of a verb is the same person or thing as the subject of the verb, or to emphasize this.

For example,
John killed himself
means that John did the killing, and he was also the person who was killed.

He forced
himself
to remain absolutely still.
She stretched
herself
out on the sofa.
I’m sure history repeats
itself
.
We all shook hands and introduced
ourselves
.
The boys formed
themselves
into a line.
Here is the question you have to ask
yourselves
.

You also use reflexive pronouns to show or emphasize that the indirect object of a verb is the same person or thing as the subject of the verb. For example, in the sentence
Ann poured herself a drink
, Ann did the pouring and she was also the person who the drink was for.

Here’s the money, you can go and buy
yourself
a watch.

BE CAREFUL

1.114
  Reflexive pronouns are not usually used with actions that people normally do to themselves, such as washing, dressing, or shaving. So you do not usually say
He shaves himself every morning
.

You can, however, sometimes use reflexive pronouns with these actions for emphasis, or to talk about a surprising event, such as a child doing something that they were not previously able to do.

used as objects of prepositions

1.115
  If the subject of a clause and the object of a preposition refer to the same person, and the clause does not have a direct object, you use a reflexive pronoun after the preposition.

I was thoroughly ashamed of
myself
.
Barbara stared at
herself
in the mirror.
We think of
ourselves
as members of the local community.
They can’t cook for
themselves
.

However, if the clause does have a direct object, you usually use a personal pronoun after the preposition.

I will take it home with
me
.
They put the book between
them
on the kitchen table.
I shivered and drew the rug around
me
.
Mrs Bixby went out, slamming the door behind
her
.

Note that if the clause has a direct object and it is not obvious that the subject of the clause and the object of the preposition refer to the same person, you use a reflexive pronoun. For example,
The Managing Director gave the biggest pay rise to himself
.

used for emphasis or contrast

1.116
  Especially in speech, people sometimes use reflexive pronouns rather than personal pronouns as the object of a preposition, in order to emphasize them.

…people like
myself
who are politically active.
…the following conversation between
myself
and a fifteen-year-old girl.
The circle spread to include
himself
and Ferdinand.
People like
yourself
still find new things to say about Shakespeare.
There is always someone worse off than
yourself
.
With the exception of a few Algerians and
ourselves
, everyone spoke Spanish.

1.117
  You can use reflexive pronouns in addition to nouns or personal pronouns. You usually do this in order to make it clear or to emphasize who or what you are referring to.

I myself
sometimes say things I don’t mean.
Sally
herself
came back.

You also use a reflexive pronoun to compare or contrast one person or thing with another.

His friend looked as miserable as he felt
himself
.
It is not Des Moines I miss, but Iowa
itself
.

The reflexive pronoun follows the noun or pronoun that it relates to.

It is hot in London; but I
myself
can work better when it’s hot.
The town
itself
was so small that it didn’t have a priest.
The lane ran right up to the wood
itself
.

It can also be placed at the end of the clause.

I am not a particularly punctual person
myself
.
You’ll probably understand better when you are a grandparent
yourself
.
It is rare for Governments to take the initiative
themselves
.

1.118
  You use a reflexive pronoun to emphasize that someone did something without any help or interference from anyone else. In this use, the reflexive pronoun is normally placed at the end of the clause.

She had printed the card
herself
.
I’ll take it down to the police station
myself
.
Did you make these
yourself
?

People in general: generic pronouns

1.119
  When you want to talk about people in general, you can use a
generic pronoun
.

Here is a list of pronouns that can be used as generic pronouns:

you
,
yours
and
yourself

1.120
  
You
is sometimes used to make statements about people in general, or about a person in a situation that you are imagining.
You
is used in this way in both subject and object position. The possessive form
yours
and the reflexive form
yourself
can also be used as generic pronouns.

To be a good doctor
you
 need to have good communication skills. Champagne can give
you
 a headache.
Once
you
’ve bought a physical book,
you
own it:
you
can lend it to people, donate it, and, well, it’s 
yours
. 
When
you
live alone
you
have to force 
yourself
 to go out more.

In informal English, you can use
you get
or
you have
to make a general statement about something that exists in the world.

You get
some old people who are very difficult.
Anytime
you have
over eight inches of snow, driving becomes problematic.

one
and
oneself

1.121
  In formal writing,
one
is sometimes used instead of
you
.
One
can be used in subject or object position. The reflexive form
oneself
is also used, but there is no possessive pronoun form of
one
.

Going round Italy,
one
is struck by the number of opera houses there are.
This scene makes
one
realize how deeply this community has been afflicted.
If
one
puts 
oneself
 up for public office, then it is inappropriate that
one
should behave badly.

we
,
us
,
ours
and
ourselves

1.122
  You can refer to a general group that includes yourself as
we
or, in object position,
us
. This group can be all of mankind, or it can be a smaller group such as a nation or a community. The possessive form
ours
and the reflexive form
ourselves
can also be used in this way.