Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Which of the following words is a reflexive pronoun?

• my

• me

• myself

• mine

Answer explanation

Reflexive pronouns end in '-self' or '-selves'. 'Myself' is the reflexive pronoun that refers back to the subject 'I'.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1D

Complete the sentence: I was so proud when I taught _____ how to play the guitar.

• me

• myself

• itself

• I

Answer explanation

The reflexive pronoun must agree with the subject 'I'. Since the subject is acting on itself, 'myself' is the correct choice.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.2.1C

CCSS.L.2.1D

True or False: An intensive pronoun adds emphasis and can be removed from a sentence without changing the sentence's basic meaning.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

This is the definition of an intensive pronoun. For example, in 'I myself built the model,' removing 'myself' leaves 'I built the model,' which is a complete sentence.

Complete the sentence: The team members decided to organize the party _____ to make it a surprise.

• theirselves

• themself

• themselves

• them

Answer explanation

The pronoun must agree with the plural antecedent 'team members'. 'Themselves' is the correct plural reflexive/intensive form; 'theirselves' is not a standard English word.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.2.1C

CCSS.L.2.1D

In which sentence is the pronoun in bold *essential* to the meaning of the sentence?

• The principal **himself** handed out the awards.

• Did you **yourself** see what happened?

• We redecorated the whole room by **ourselves**.

• The author **herself** signed my book.

Answer explanation

This is a reflexive pronoun used as the object of the preposition 'by'. Removing 'ourselves' would leave an incomplete and nonsensical phrase ('by'). The other options use intensive pronouns for emphasis.

Tags

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.6.1A

CCSS.L.6.1C

CCSS.L.6.1D

Identify the function of the pronoun 'itself' in the following sentence: The robot vacuum can clean the entire house by itself.

• Intensive, because it emphasizes 'robot vacuum'

• Reflexive, because it is the object of the preposition 'by' and refers to the subject

• Intensive, because the sentence makes sense without it

• Reflexive, because all pronouns ending in '-self' are reflexive

Answer explanation

The pronoun 'itself' is necessary for the meaning of the phrase 'by itself' and refers back to the subject, 'The robot vacuum'. This makes it a reflexive pronoun.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1D

True or False: In the sentence, 'She could not believe she had won the award herself,' the pronoun 'herself' is reflexive.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

The pronoun 'herself' is intensive in this sentence. It adds emphasis to 'she' but can be removed without changing the core meaning ('She could not believe she had won the award').

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1D

Which sentence shows the best placement for the intensive pronoun 'herself' to emphasize that 'Keisha' was the one who fixed the bike?

• Keisha fixed the bike and herself was proud.

• The bike was fixed by Keisha herself.

• Herself Keisha fixed the bike.

• Keisha fixed the bike for herself.

Answer explanation

Intensive pronouns are usually placed right after the noun they emphasize or at the end of the clause. 'By Keisha herself' clearly emphasizes Keisha, while 'for herself' would be reflexive, meaning she did it for her own benefit.

Complete the sentence: My parents were really impressed that we handled the situation all by _____.

• us

• ourself

• ourselves

• we

Answer explanation

The pronoun must agree with the plural subject 'we'. As the object of the preposition 'by', the reflexive pronoun 'ourselves' is the correct choice.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.1B

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.2.1C

CCSS.L.2.1D

True or False: The sentence 'My brother and myself are going to the skate park' uses the pronoun 'myself' correctly.

• True

• False

Answer explanation

A reflexive pronoun like 'myself' cannot be used as the subject of a sentence. The correct subject pronoun is 'I' ('My brother and I').

Tags

CCSS.L.3.1A

CCSS.L.6.1A

CCSS.L.6.1C

CCSS.L.6.1D