WESTERN TRAINING CENTER

Reflexive or reciprocal pronouns

I) REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS: They're easy ones!...

Imagine you're standing in front of a mirror: you're looking at yourself... You can see
yourself, that is "the reflection of a person".

1. Reflexive pronouns: often correspond, in your minds, to « me »,« you », « him/

her/ it », « us » « them »,« everybody ».

- He looked at himself in the mirror; (Here, there's only one person, but two figures, a
reflection, and an individual.

2. Reflexive pronouns: I look at myself in the mirror.

Subjects REFLEXIVE
Verb Complements
Pronouns Pronouns:

I look at MYSELF in the mirror.

You (singular) look at YOURSELF in the mirror.
He looks at HIMSELF in the mirror.
She looks at HERSELF in the mirror.
The dog (It) looks at ITSELF in the mirror
We look at OURSELVES in the mirror
You (plural) look at YOURSELVES in the mirror
They look at THEMSELVES in the mirror
3. They also correspond to myself, yourself, him/ herself, ourselves, yourself/
yourselves, themselves, meaning "with nobody's help".

- Lucy, you're old enough to do this yourself! I won't do it for you.

4. « By myself/ yourself/ himself ... » = alone, isolated.

- I stayed by myself for 3 weeks ... It seemed quite long..

5. A few expressions or idioms:

- Help yourself! = Serve yourself, take a portion of...

- Behave yourself = Be a good boy, or girl!

- Make yourself at home! = make yourself comfortable!

TEACHER = VANN SOKEMARATH Core-English (level 11A)

 WESTERN TRAINING CENTER
- Please yourself! = Do what you like!

II) RECIPROCAL PRONOUNS ( "She's doing it again!" ):

involve several different persons , both inter-
acting between two (or more) groups.

1. EACH OTHER and ONE ANOTHER :

Here, I'll speak to you about a not-so distant past...

Well, well! in that time, and even quite long after, there used to be a difference
between « each other » (representing only two people) and « one another » (where a
whole group of people were acting).

Nowadays, when (almost) everything is allowed, the two expressions are supposed to be
equivalent (even for Oxford/ Cambridge dictionaries/ and ... the last edition of my
favourite grammar book). Every one of them gives examples perfectly respecting the
initial rules, but clearly proclaim that both expressions are commonly heard, without any
distinction of number of actors, and do so legitimately in any case.

Consequently, though I was taught and taught students "Queen's English!" (= « no need
to be more Catholic than the Pope »)... I'll comply with the reality principle of our time. I
tell my own students to know the original rules and then adapt to the different situations
they meet. I do it too. In this lesson, I'll remain a purist and I'll give you the freedom to
be one, or not.

- - He and I looked at each other and admitted that we had loved each other for months. [=he
looked at me and I looked at him] (Isn't that romantic ?)

- The members of the group consulted with one another.[= each of the people in the group
consulted with the other members of the group] (the ones with the others!)

2. Reciprocal pronouns can bear the genitive indicating possession: each other's / one
another's.

- This summer, my friend and I will stay in each other's flats.

TEACHER = VANN SOKEMARATH Core-English (level 11A)