Basics: Reflexive Pronouns
This challenge contains 12 questions at medium difficulty covering Basics: Reflexive Pronouns. Test your knowledge with a mix of question formats!
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Choose the correct word to complete the wildlife documentary narration.
The two acrobatic squirrels built a tiny catapult to launch ____ directly into the "squirrel-proof" bird feeder.
The correct answer is themselves.
We use the reflexive pronoun themselves because the subject ("The two acrobatic squirrels") is performing the action upon that exact same group. "Theirselves" is not a grammatically correct word in standard English.
Select the grammatically correct word to finish the homeowner's proud (but misplaced) boast.
"I didn't need to hire a professional plumber! I fixed the leaking sink ____," Arthur proclaimed, right before the pipe burst and flooded his kitchen.
The correct answer is myself.
In this sentence, myself acts as an intensive (or emphatic) pronoun. It isn't strictly necessary for the sentence to make sense, but it is used to emphasize that the subject ("I") performed the action entirely alone, without any outside help.
The head chef proudly came to our table and declared that he had caught the lobster himself.
We use the emphatic reflexive pronoun himself here to stress that the chef did it personally, without anyone else's help. (Note: "hisself" is grammatically incorrect!)
Unfortunately, while trying to show off his culinary skills, he then proceeded to accidentally burn himself with the flambé torch.
We use the reflexive pronoun himself because the subject (he) and the object of the verb (burn) are the same person.
Complete the cooking instructor's frantic warning.
"Alright, class! Since there are twenty of you and only one of me, you will have to divide the remaining ingredients among ____," Chef Gordon yelled over the sound of burning butter.
The correct answer is yourselves.
When the subject and object of a sentence are the same, we use a reflexive pronoun. Because the chef is addressing a group of twenty people, the plural form yourselves is required instead of the singular yourself.
"Welcome, team! You will have to solve these puzzles all by yourselves, as I won't be giving any hints over the radio."
Because the host is addressing a "team" (multiple people), the plural reflexive pronoun yourselves is required. "By yourselves" means "alone" or "without help."
"Oh, and if anyone gets scared and wants to leave early, just know that the exit door will lock itself automatically."
"The exit door" is an inanimate object (singular), so we use the pronoun itself.
Complete the customer service complaint about a rebellious smart home device. Drag the correct words into the gaps.
The new robot vacuum somehow managed to trap itself in the bathroom by closing the door.
My husband and I found ourselves apologizing to the family cat for the machine's aggressive behavior.
"If you want the floors clean," I angrily told the robot, "you'll have to do it yourself!"
The new robot vacuum somehow managed to trap itself in the bathroom by closing the door.
"Itself" is used because the subject is an inanimate object (the vacuum).
My husband and I found ourselves apologizing to the family cat for the machine's aggressive behavior.
"Ourselves" matches the plural first-person subject "My husband and I" (we).
"If you want the floors clean," I angrily told the robot, "you'll have to do it yourself!"
"Yourself" is used here because the speaker is directly addressing a singular entity ("you," the robot).
"I can't believe the instructions say we should build this massive wardrobe ourselves."
The subject is "we," so the correct plural reflexive pronoun is ourselves. "Ourself" is not a standard word!
"Even the professional movers looked like they were going to hurt themselves carrying it up the stairs."
The subject is "they" (the movers), so the correct plural reflexive pronoun is themselves. "Theirselves" is a common mistake, but it is grammatically incorrect.
Help the food critic complete their review of Chef Leo's disastrous new restaurant. Drag the correct pronouns to finish the sentences.
Chef Leo accidentally burned himself while trying to flambé a dessert at our table.
The waitstaff were so embarrassed by the shouting that they hid themselves in the kitchen pantry.
Eventually, I had to pour the expensive wine myself because no one else was around to serve us!
Chef Leo accidentally burned himself while trying to flambé a dessert at our table.
"Himself" matches the singular male subject "Chef Leo."
The waitstaff were so embarrassed by the shouting that they hid themselves in the kitchen pantry.
"Themselves" reflects the plural subject "they" (referring to the waitstaff).
Eventually, I had to pour the expensive wine myself because no one else was around to serve us!
"Myself" emphasizes that the speaker ("I") performed the action without any help.
The correct answers are: The suspect locked himself inside the bank vault by accident. The mayor herself provided an ironclad alibi for the prime suspect. The criminal mastermind planned the entire operation by himself.
...locked himself... correctly uses a reflexive pronoun because the subject ("The suspect") and the object are the same.
The mayor herself... correctly uses an intensive pronoun to emphasize that it was the mayor, surprisingly, who provided the alibi.
...by himself. correctly uses the phrase meaning "alone."
Incorrect options:
"The fleeing thief took the stolen diamonds with himself" is incorrect. For prepositions indicating spatial relationships (like with, beside, behind), we use personal object pronouns, not reflexive ones. It should be with him.
"...hid ourself..." is incorrect. "Witnesses" is plural third-person, so the correct reflexive pronoun is themselves. Furthermore, "ourself" is not a standard word; the first-person plural is "ourselves."
The correct answers are: "Crew, you must prepare yourselves for hyper-sleep," the captain announced. The ship's artificial intelligence finally taught itself how to tell knock-knock jokes. The engineers prided themselves on fixing the warp drive with nothing but duct tape.
...prepare yourselves... is correct. Because "Crew" refers to multiple people, the plural form "yourselves" is used instead of the singular "yourself."
...taught itself... is correct. The singular, non-human subject ("artificial intelligence") matches with "itself."
...prided themselves... is correct. The plural subject ("engineers") matches with "themselves."
Incorrect options:
"...disguised theirselves..." is incorrect. "Theirselves" is not a real word; the correct plural reflexive pronoun is themselves.
"...protect ourself..." is incorrect. "We" is plural, so the reflexive pronoun must also be plural: ourselves.
The correct answers are: I accidentally burned myself on the hot oven rack. The head chef himself told me my soufflé was a masterpiece! I managed to clean the entire kitchen disaster zone by myself.
I accidentally burned myself... is correct because the subject ("I") and the object receiving the action are the same person.
The head chef himself... is correct. Here, "himself" is used as an intensive pronoun to add emphasis.
...by myself. is correct. The phrase "by" + reflexive pronoun means "alone" or "without help."
Incorrect options:
"Please send your recipe feedback to the kitchen manager or myself" is incorrect. You should use the object pronoun me here. (Tip: Take out "the kitchen manager" and see how "send feedback to myself" sounds!)
"My sous-chef and myself will be preparing..." is incorrect. You need the subject pronoun I as part of the compound subject ("My sous-chef and I").
Finish the park ranger's amusing log entry about some overly confident tourists. Match each blank with the appropriate word.
The tourists insisted on building the massive eight-person tent by themselves, refusing any of my offers to help.
Sarah, the group leader, proudly declared she had chopped all the firewood herself.
"Did you guys pack the snacks yourselves, or did you forget those too?" I asked them with a smile.
The tourists insisted on building the massive eight-person tent by themselves, refusing any of my offers to help.
"By themselves" is a common phrase meaning "alone" or "without help," reflecting the plural subject "tourists" (they).
Sarah, the group leader, proudly declared she had chopped all the firewood herself.
"Herself" is used as an intensive pronoun to emphasize that Sarah (she) did the chopping personally.
"Did you guys pack the snacks yourselves, or did you forget those too?" I asked them with a smile.
"Yourselves" is the plural reflexive pronoun matching the plural subject "you guys."
Pronoun
Pronoun vs noun: nouns name explicitly (Sarah, the book). Pronouns substitute and point back (she, it). Pronouns are a closed class (you can't invent new ones easily), while nouns are open (new ones appear constantly). The main complication: pronouns still carry case marking that nouns have lost.
A pronoun replaces a noun or noun phrase. Types: personal, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, reflexive, indefinite.
Diagnostic: every pronoun must have a clear antecedent (the noun it replaces). If the reader can't tell which noun a pronoun refers to → ambiguity error.
English Grammar Basics
Basics vs intermediate/advanced grammar: if you're unsure whether to study articles or conditionals, tense basics or reported speech — you need to check whether your foundations are solid first. Basics covers everything up to A2.
English Grammar Basics groups the core building blocks: nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, present/past tenses, questions, and negation.
Diagnostic: if you still hesitate over she don't vs she doesn't, or a vs an — start here. Master these and intermediate topics stop feeling random.
A2 | Elementary | Pre-intermediate
A2 vs B1: A2 handles routine transactions and simple past narration. B1 handles connected discourse, explaining reasons, and understanding main points in clear standard speech. If you can tell what happened but not why it matters, you're still A2.
A2 is the elementary level of the CEFR: past simple, present perfect, first conditional, basic modals, and routine communication about familiar topics.
Diagnostic: can you link ideas with because, although, so that and hold a conversation beyond scripted topics? No → A2. Yes → moving into B1.
Medium
Medium vs Easy: Easy has one obviously correct answer and clearly wrong distractors. Medium has one correct answer but plausible distractors — you need to actually know the rule, not just guess from sound.
The Medium tag filters for A2–B1 challenges with realistic difficulty: one rule per question, plausible alternatives, everyday contexts.
Diagnostic: if you're scoring 90%+ on Easy, move here. If you're below 60% on Medium, go back to Easy for that topic. Target 70–80% accuracy for maximum learning.