Impulse 3 U1 reflexive pronouns & each other

The boys are working very hard to complete the project by ___________.

• himself

• herself

• themselves

• them

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'themselves' because it refers back to 'the boys', indicating that they are completing the project on their own. 'Himself' and 'herself' are singular, while 'them' is not reflexive.

You are selfish if you just care about ____________.

• yourself

• you

• ourselves

• myself

Answer explanation

You are selfish if you only care about yourself. The correct choice 'yourself' emphasizes self-centeredness, while 'you', 'ourselves', and 'myself' do not convey the same meaning of selfishness.

Helen burnt _____________ when she was cooking.

• her

• herself

• himself

• itself

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'herself' because it refers back to Helen, indicating that she burned her own body while cooking. 'Her' would be incomplete, while 'himself' and 'itself' are incorrect as they do not match Helen's gender.

My football teammates told me not to blame _________________ when I failed to score a goal.

• them

• myself

• me

• themselves

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'myself' because the sentence implies self-reflection. The phrase 'not to blame myself' indicates that the speaker should not take personal responsibility for the failure to score.

The dog went to get its leash by ______________.

• itself

• it

• yourselves

• themselves

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'itself' because it refers back to 'the dog' as a singular subject. 'It' is also singular but does not indicate self-action. 'Yourselves' and 'themselves' are plural, making them incorrect in this context.

My baby sister can eat by ________________.

• her

• herself

• itself

• yourself

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'herself' because it refers to the subject 'my baby sister' and indicates that she can eat independently. 'Her' is a possessive pronoun, 'itself' refers to objects, and 'yourself' is for addressing someone else.

The cat is cleaning _______________ with its tongue.

• it

• itself

• myself

• yourself

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'itself' because it refers back to 'the cat', indicating that the cat is cleaning its own body with its tongue. The other options do not correctly reflect this reflexive action.

You need to learn to love _______________.

• yourself

• you

• me

• ourselves

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'yourself' because the phrase emphasizes the importance of self-love. The other options do not fit grammatically or contextually in the sentence.

The businessman is carrying his luggage by ______________.

• himself

• herself

• yourselves

• ourselves

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'himself' because it refers to a male businessman. 'Herself' is for females, while 'yourselves' and 'ourselves' are plural forms, which do not apply here.

We managed to find the way by _______________.

• myself

• ourselves

• themselves

• yourselves

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'ourselves' because it refers to the group 'we' in the sentence. 'Myself' is singular, 'themselves' refers to a different group, and 'yourselves' is used for addressing others. Thus, 'ourselves' fits best.