Practice
Pronouns exercise 2: use possessive and reflexive pronouns
Sign in to saveThis notebook is mine, but the blue one is yours. The nouns are already understood, so possessive pronouns let us name the owner without repeating notebook.
Choose possessive and reflexive pronouns that match the person and meaning of a sentence.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
This one is yours. /ðɪs wʌn ɪz jɔːz/
The short answer
Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs when a pronoun replaces an owned noun. Use myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves when the object refers back to the subject.
The decision was hers to make.
Why it works: Hers means her decision. It replaces the possessive noun phrase.
5 more examples
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That seat by the window is ours.
Ours replaces our seat, so no noun follows it.
Not this:That seat by the window
is our. What changes: Our needs a noun after it, so it cannot finish this sentence. -
Lina made herself a cup of tea.
Lina is both the person making the tea and the person receiving it.
Not this:Lina made
myselfa cup of tea. What changes: Myself refers to I, not to Lina. Use herself for a female singular subject. -
Are these headphones yours?
Yours asks about ownership and replaces your headphones.
Not this:Are these headphones
your? What changes: Your must introduce a noun, while yours can stand alone. -
We reminded ourselves about the deadline.
We is plural, so the matching reflexive pronoun ends in -selves.
Not this:We reminded
ourselfabout the deadline. What changes: Standard English uses ourselves with we. -
The neighbours repaired the fence themselves.
The reflexive pronoun emphasizes that the neighbours did the work without another person doing it for them.
Not this:The neighbours repaired the fence
theirselves. What changes: Use themselves as the standard reflexive form for they.
Read the full guide
First decide whether the sentence needs an owner or an action that returns to the subject. If it needs an owner, choose a possessive pronoun. If the same person does an action and receives it, choose a reflexive pronoun that matches that person.
Find the job the pronoun must do
Before choosing a pronoun, look at the missing idea. Is the sentence naming an owner, or is the action returning to the person who did it? This decision is more useful than trying to memorize a long list without context.
My keys are on the table, and yours are by the door.
Yours replaces your keys. It tells us who owns the second set of keys.
I introduced myself to the new colleague.
Myself points back to I, the subject who did the introducing.
Does the blank replace an owned thing or refer back to the subject?
Choose a possessive pronoun for an owned thing and a reflexive pronoun for a reference back to the subject.
Use possessive pronouns without a following noun
Possessive adjectives come before a noun: my phone, her jacket, our plan. Possessive pronouns replace that whole noun phrase: mine, hers, and ours. Because the noun is already replaced, do not add another noun after the pronoun.
Her report is shorter than mine.
Mine means my report. The noun report is understood from the first part of the sentence.
Their apartment is upstairs, but ours is on this floor.
Ours replaces our apartment and can end the clause.
Which form can stand alone: my or mine?
Use mine. My needs a noun after it, as in my report.
Match a reflexive pronoun to its subject
A reflexive pronoun normally has the same person and number as the subject. I goes with myself, you goes with yourself or yourselves, and they goes with themselves. Read the subject first, then check the ending of the reflexive form.
He blamed himself for the delay.
He and himself both refer to one male person.
The children dressed themselves before breakfast.
The children is plural, so themselves is needed.
Complete the sentence: I need to give ___ more time. (myself)
Use myself because I is the subject and the person receiving the extra time.
Use reflexive pronouns for actions that return
Reflexive pronouns are common when someone acts on the same person. You can hurt yourself, prepare yourself, or remind yourself. They are not needed after every verb. With an ordinary action on another person or thing, use an object pronoun or noun instead.
Sam taught himself to use the new software.
Sam is both the teacher and the learner, so himself is appropriate.
Sam taught his cousin to use the new software.
His cousin is a different person, so a reflexive pronoun would change the meaning.
Do you need a reflexive pronoun when the action affects another person?
No. Use the noun or object pronoun for that other person.
Recognize reflexive pronouns used for emphasis
A reflexive pronoun can also emphasize who did something. In this use, it may follow the subject or come later in the sentence. The basic message still works without it, but the pronoun adds focus to the person.
The director herself welcomed the visitors.
Herself adds emphasis. It says that the director, rather than an assistant, did the welcoming.
I fixed the shelf myself.
Myself stresses that I did the repair without help.
Can you remove the emphatic reflexive pronoun and keep the basic grammar?
Usually yes. The sentence loses emphasis, but its main structure remains complete.
Check common forms before you finish
Small form errors can make a sentence sound unusual. Use yours rather than your when no noun follows. Use themselves rather than theirselves in standard English. For a singular person whose gender is not known or is not relevant, themselves is widely used in modern English.
Each applicant should bring their own identification.
Their can refer to one person in this sentence because the person is not specified.
Each applicant should introduce themselves at the desk.
Themselves can refer back to singular they in ordinary modern English.
What should you check after choosing a reflexive pronoun?
Check that it matches the subject in person and number, and that the action really returns to that subject or adds intended emphasis.
Before you go
Remember this
Use a possessive pronoun when you replace an owned noun: This one is mine. Use a reflexive pronoun when the object points back to the subject: She prepared herself. Match the pronoun to the subject, and remember that possessive pronouns do not take another noun after them.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Pronouns exercise 2: use possessive and reflexive pronouns"
What is the difference between my and mine?
My is a possessive adjective, so it comes before a noun: my umbrella. Mine is a possessive pronoun, so it replaces the noun phrase: That umbrella is mine.
That seat by the window is ours.
When should I use a reflexive pronoun?
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject performs an action on the same person, such as Lina made herself a cup of tea. It can also add emphasis, as in The director herself welcomed the visitors.
That seat by the window is our.
How do I choose between himself and themselves?
Match the reflexive pronoun to the subject. Use himself for one male person and themselves for a plural subject. The form themselves can also follow singular they when a person's gender is not specified.
Lina made herself a cup of tea.
Can a possessive pronoun have a noun after it?
No. Possessive pronouns already replace an owned noun, so say That seat is ours. Use a possessive adjective when the noun follows, as in our seat by the window.
Lina made myself a cup of tea.
Is theirselves standard English?
No. Standard English uses themselves for they. In a sentence about several neighbours, write that they repaired something themselves, not theirselves.
Are these headphones yours?