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Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? Reflexive pronouns exercises for B1 students

This B1 drill lesson gives reflexive pronouns exercises from myself to themselves, then each other, by myself for alone and the verbs that take no -self in English.

Grammar
-self or -selves when subject and object match (I cut myself.), each other when the action crosses over, by myself for alone, and no -self after relax or meet.
Topic
The Wobbly Chair, an invented DIY furniture blog: Thandi in Tucson turns an old door into a coffee table, cuts herself once and answers her readers' comments.
Activities
Sorting, choices, typed gaps, matches, drag-and-drop, word order, tables, quizzes, an anagram, a memory game and a chat with a neighbor.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1The rule

    • PictureUnlock
    • Study the scheme: reflexive pronounsGrammar schemeTry it
    • Is the sentence correct? Mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Sort the words: one person, more people or wrong?Sort into columnsTry it
    • Choose the right reflexive pronounChoose the optionUnlock
    • Write the reflexive pronounFill in the gapsUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Myself, yourself, themselves

    • Fill in the gaps: verb + -selfFill in the gapsTry it
    • Choose the right words: -self or -selves?Choose the optionUnlock
    • Match the beginnings and the endingsMatchUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Put the words in the right orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Fill in the table: -self or -selves?Fill in the tableUnlock
    • Find the mistake and choose the right wordsQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Each other or themselves?

    • Choose the right words: each other or -selves?Choose the optionTry it
    • Fill in the gaps: who does what to whom?Fill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the sentences: -selves or each other?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Read about the twins and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right answer: who did what?QuizUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: the same person or someone else?Fill in the gapsUnlock

  4. Chapter 4By myself, or no -self at all?

    • Choose the right pronoun: alone or without helpChoose the optionTry it
    • Write it another way: by + -selfFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the sentences: -self or no -self?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Choose the right verb form: -self or not?Choose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: nobody else did itFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in order: alone or together?UnjumbleUnlock
    • Read Percival's forum post and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Real life: The Wobbly Chair

    • Read Thandi's blog postReal-life documentUnlock
    • Read the blog post again: true or false?True or falseUnlock
    • Read Amaury's email and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Read the workshop ad and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Read Thandi's safety tips and choose the right wordsChoose the optionUnlock
    • Choose the right replies: Imre visits youChatTry it
    • Test yourself: choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Choose the right pronoun: a family weekendChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: verb + -self in the pastFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the sentences: myself, ourselves or each other?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Put the words in the right order: at homeUnjumbleUnlock
    • Match the beginnings and the endings: family newsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the reflexive pronounsAnagramUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: at the officeDrag and dropUnlock
    • Find the mistake in each sentenceQuizUnlock
    • Fill in the table: alone or without help, two waysFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the right words: a quiet weekendChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: friends and neighborsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Find the matching pairs: phrases and their meaningsMemory gameUnlock
    • Read Bartholomew's toast and fill in the gapsFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Read Seraphina's review and drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

48 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Grammar: reflexive pronouns, each other and by myself

A reflexive pronoun points back to the subject: I cut myself. They enjoyed themselves. English uses one when the person who does the action also receives it. Learners match the pronoun to the subject, set -selves against each other, use by myself for alone and learn which verbs never take -self.

Reflexive pronouns: myself, yourself, each other

When the subject and the object are the same person or thing, use -self / -selves: I cut myself.

Myself to themselves: -self or -selves

One person takes -self: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself. More people take -selves: ourselves, yourselves, themselves. You has two forms: Help yourself, Ben! but Did you hurt yourselves, guys?

Same person: subject + verb + -self

subjectverb-self / -selves

I cut myself.

She taught herself to swim.

They enjoyed themselves.

Every person: -self for one, -selves for more

SubjectObjectReflexiveExample
ImemyselfI bought myself a new phone.
you (one person)youyourselfHelp yourself, Ben!
hehimhimselfHe talks to himself.
sheherherselfShe made herself a sandwich.
itititselfMy car parks itself.
weusourselvesWe made ourselves some coffee.
you (more people)youyourselvesDid you hurt yourselves, guys?
theythemthemselvesThey paid for it themselves.

Themselves or each other?

With themselves, the action goes back to each person: Ana to Ana, Leo to Leo. With each other, it crosses over: Ana and Leo looked at each other. The possessive is each other's, never each others: They borrow each other's clothes.

themselves: A → A, B → B

  • Each person does it to himself or herself.
  • Ana and Leo looked at themselves in the mirror. (Ana saw Ana, Leo saw Leo.)

each other: A → B, B → A

  • Ana and Leo looked at each other. (Ana saw Leo, Leo saw Ana.)
  • one another = each other
  • Possessive: They borrow each other's clothes. (Not: each others)

By myself, and -self for emphasis

By + -self means alone or without help, like on my own: Grandpa lives by himself. Without by, the pronoun can stress that nobody else did it: I made this cake myself! The chef himself came to our table.

by + -self = alone, without help

  • Grandpa lives by himself. (= alone, on his own)
  • The window opened by itself. (Nobody opened it.)

-self for emphasis = nobody else did it

  • I made this cake myself! (Nobody helped me.)
  • The chef himself came to our table. (Not a waiter: the chef!)

Verbs with -self, and verbs without it

Hurt, cut, teach, introduce, enjoy and help yourself often take one. Relax, concentrate, feel, meet, complain and apologize don't: We met in 2020. Wash and dress usually go without one too, unless it's hard, as for a small child.

Verbs we often use with -self

  • hurt / cut / burn yourself (an accident)
  • enjoy yourself = have a good time
  • enjoy needs an object: We enjoyed the show. We enjoyed ourselves. (Not: We enjoyed.)
  • teach yourself = learn with no teacher
  • introduce yourself = tell people who you are
  • help yourself (to food) = take some
  • behave yourself = be good · make yourself at home
  • look at / talk to yourself
  • be proud of / angry with yourself
  • take care of yourself · blame yourself

No -self after these verbs

relax, concentrate / focus, feel (good, tired), meet, complain, apologize: I relaxed. (Not: I relaxed myself.) We met in 2020. (Not: We met ourselves.) With wash, shave and dress, we usually say: I washed, he shaved, she got dressed. Use -self only when it's hard (a small child, an injury): Grandpa broke his arm, so he can't wash himself.

Common mistakes

Hisself, theirselves and ourself are wrong forms. I relaxed myself adds a pronoun English doesn't want, and Ana and Tom text themselves should be each other, because each one texts the other.

Common mistakes

  • He fixed it hisself.

    He fixed it himself.

    never hisself

  • They enjoyed theirselves.

    They enjoyed themselves.

    never theirselves; we → ourselves, never ourself

  • I relaxed myself on the sofa.

    I relaxed on the sofa.

    relax, meet, concentrate, feel: no -self

  • Ana and Tom text themselves every night.

    Ana and Tom text each other every night.

    Ana → Tom, Tom → Ana: each other

Examples

  • Be careful! Don't hurt yourself.an accident
  • Make yourselves at home, guys!you = more people
  • My grandma taught herself to use a laptop.she learned with no teacher
  • My sister and I text each other every day.she texts me, I text her
  • I love going to the movies by myself.alone
  • We painted the kitchen ourselves.nobody helped us

More lessons on this grammar: Pronouns lessons and exercises

Try the reflexive pronouns exercises

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What's in the lesson

  • 40 auto-checked exercises
  • 5 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 picture

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • use the right reflexive for every person, never hisself or theirselves: My grandpa taught himself to paint when he was seventy.
  • choose yourself for one person and yourselves for more: Max, help yourself to some cake! Kids, please behave yourselves at Grandma's house!
  • tell themselves from each other by meaning: Mia lives in Boston and Ana lives in Dublin, but they call each other every Sunday.
  • say alone or without help with by myself or on my own: My grandma is 85, but she still lives by herself.
  • leave out -self after relax, meet, concentrate and feel: I sat in the garden and relaxed.

Lesson 21 of English Grammar Practice · B1 sits on the pronouns page. It follows lesson 20, Gerunds and infinitives: enjoy doing or decide to do?, and comes before lesson 22, Although, however, despite: great view, tiny room. Since it brings in no new vocabulary, a teacher can run it as extra practice next to any course.

The rule chapter starts with a picture and the scheme, followed by four drills, among them a sort into one person, more people or wrong. Myself, yourself, themselves covers every form, Each other or themselves? includes a story about twins, and By myself, or no -self at all? ends with Percival's travel post. The Wobbly Chair brings Thandi's blog post, Amaury's email, a workshop ad, safety tips, a chat with Imre and a 12-question test.

Each of the 15 homework tasks checks itself: a family weekend, an office, friends and neighbors, an anagram of the pronouns, a table of by himself and on his own, a memory game of phrases, Bartholomew's toast at a 50th anniversary and Seraphina's review of a sailing lesson.

Grammar:
reflexive pronouns · myself / yourself / themselves · each other · by myself
Topic:
grammar practice · DIY · furniture · hobbies

Teaching tips

  • Act out the difference with two volunteers: first each one points at their own chest, then they point at each other. The class says They're pointing at themselves or They're pointing at each other.
  • Make two columns on the board: verbs with -self (hurt, teach, enjoy, introduce) and verbs without it (relax, meet, concentrate, feel). Add to them as the drills go.
  • Ask what students have made themselves before Thandi's blog post: a shelf, a cake, a website. They answer I built it myself or I did it by myself, then read how she made her coffee table.
  • Run a fast subject-and-pronoun drill: you say he, they or we, and students call out himself, themselves or ourselves. It stops hisself and theirselves before they start.

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The whole course: English Grammar Practice · B1

English Grammar Practice · B1 has 28 drill lessons, one grammar point each: the present perfect continuous, narrative tenses, future forms, modals of deduction, the second conditional, the passive, relative clauses, reported speech, question tags and linkers. Each has the rule as a scheme, 43 to 47 exercises that check themselves, 15 of them for homework, and no new words.See the course

  1. 1Present perfect continuous: how long have you been doing it?
  2. 2Present perfect simple or continuous: how many or how long?
  3. 3Past perfect: what had happened before?
  4. 4Narrative tenses: telling a great story
  5. 5Future forms: plans, promises and timetables
  6. 6Future time clauses: I'll call you when I land
  7. 7Used to, be used to, get used to: settling in
  8. 8Modal verbs: can, must, should or might?
  9. 9Could, was able to, managed to: did you make it?
  10. 10Modals of deduction: whose bag could it be?
  11. 11Second conditional: what would you do?
  12. 12Conditionals compared: real or imagined?
  13. 13Present and past passive: how is it made?
  14. 14Passive in other tenses: what's being done?
  15. 15Relative clauses: the person who, the place where
  16. 16Reported statements: who said what?
  17. 17Reported questions and commands: what did they ask you?
  18. 18Indirect questions: could you tell me where it is?
  19. 19Question tags: it's your first day, isn't it?
  20. 20Gerunds and infinitives: enjoy doing or decide to do?
  21. 21Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?
  22. 22Although, however, despite: great view, tiny room
  23. 23So, such and because of: what a storm!
  24. 24Phrasal verbs: who's going to clean it up?
  25. 25All, both, either, neither, none: two or a whole group?
  26. 26-ed and -ing adjectives: bored or boring?
  27. 27Advanced comparatives: the more, the better
  28. 28Articles with place names: the Nile, but Lake Como

Questions about this lesson

What are reflexive pronouns?
Reflexive pronouns are the words ending in -self and -selves: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves and themselves. They refer back to the subject when the subject and the object are the same: I cut myself. Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?, a B1 drill lesson on edio.ai, practices all eight in 45 exercises that check themselves.
When do you use reflexive pronouns?
Use one when the person who does the action also receives it: She taught herself to swim. After by, it means alone (Grandpa lives by himself), and on its own it stresses that nobody else did it (We painted the kitchen ourselves). If the action goes to someone else, use an object pronoun: Grandpa can't drive, so I take him to the doctor. The scheme in Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai shows all three uses.
What are some examples of reflexive pronouns?
Five from Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai: I didn't buy it. I built it myself! On the first day, I cut myself on a sharp piece of wood. Kids, please help yourselves to pizza! Our robot vacuum cleaner charges itself at night. My parents painted the whole house themselves. Each pronoun matches its subject in person and number.
What's the difference between themselves and each other?
Themselves means each person does it to himself or herself, and each other means they do it to one another. Ana and Leo looked at themselves in the mirror: Ana saw Ana, and Leo saw Leo. Ana and Leo looked at each other: Ana saw Leo, and Leo saw Ana. Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai gives this a whole chapter, Each other or themselves?
Is it “hisself” or “himself”?
It's always himself: hisself isn't standard English, and neither are theirselves or ourself. Say He fixed it himself, They enjoyed themselves and We enjoyed ourselves. The rule chapter of Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai has a sort with a column for wrong forms such as hisself and theirselves, so students learn to spot them.
Do you say “relax yourself” in English?
No: relax takes no reflexive pronoun, so say I relaxed on the sofa. The same goes for concentrate, feel, meet, complain and apologize: We met in 2020, not We met ourselves. The chapter By myself, or no -self at all? in Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai sorts these verbs from the ones that need -self.
What does “by myself” mean?
By myself means alone or without help, the same as on my own: I traveled around Vietnam by myself. It changes with the person: by herself, by themselves, by itself (The door closed by itself). Don't say by me or by my own. In Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai, students rewrite alone and without help both ways.
How do I teach reflexive pronouns to B1 students?
Fix the forms first, then the meaning: drill -self and -selves for every person, set themselves against each other with gestures, and finish with the verbs that take no -self. Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai follows that path in three drill chapters, then turns to a DIY blog where the writer built a coffee table herself.
What's a good game for practicing reflexive pronouns?
Try “Who made it?”: students bring pictures of homemade things, such as a cake, a shelf or a sweater, and classmates guess with Did you make it yourself? The owner answers Yes, I made it myself or No, my sister made it. For the forms, the homework of Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai has an anagram and a memory game of -self phrases.
What's good homework for reflexive pronouns?
Good homework makes students choose, not just fill in: -self, each other or nothing at all. The homework of Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai does that in a family weekend, an office, a quiet weekend at home, Bartholomew's toast to his grandparents and Seraphina's review of her first sailing lesson, and every task checks itself.
How do you practice reflexive pronouns one-to-one?
Talk about things the student did alone: Did you plan the trip yourself? Do you ever go to the movies by yourself? The student answers in full, then asks the teacher. The chat in Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself? on edio.ai needs no partner: Imre, a neighbor, admires the student's new bookshelf, and the student picks replies such as No, I did it all by myself.
Are there interactive reflexive pronouns exercises?
Yes. This page plays five parts of Reflexive pronouns: did you make it yourself?, a B1 drill lesson on edio.ai, with no account: a sort of words into one person, more people or wrong; gaps with a verb + -self; a choice between each other and -selves; a choice of pronouns for alone or without help; and a chat with Imre, a neighbor. Its other 40 exercises need an account.
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