Reflexive pronouns are words like myself, yourself, or himself that shows that someone is doing something to themselves. For example, in the sentence “She prepared herself for the meeting,” the word “herself” means she got ready on her own. These pronouns help make it clear that the action goes back to the same person.
What is a Reflexive Pronoun?
A reflexive pronoun is used when the subject and the object of a sentence are the same person or thing. Reflexive pronouns end in “-self” (singular) or “-selves” (plural). Some examples are “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “itself,” “ourselves,” “yourselves,” and “themselves.” In the sentence “I taught myself to cook,” the reflexive pronoun “myself” reflects back to the subject “I.”
Reflexive pronoun वह pronoun होता है जो sentence के subject को refer करता है, यानी जब subject और object एक ही होते हैं। Reflexive pronouns का अंत “-self” (एकवचन) या “-selves” (बहुवचन) से होता है। उदाहरण के लिए, “myself,” “yourself,” “himself,” “herself,” “itself,” “ourselves,” “yourselves,” और “themselves” reflexive pronouns हैं। Example के लिए, “मैंने खुद को खाना बनाना सिखाया,” यहां “myself” reflexive pronoun है जो “मैं” को refer करता है।
Definition of Reflexive Pronoun
A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that indicates that the subject of the sentence is also the object of the action. It contrasts with other pronouns as it shows that the subject performs an action on itself. Reflexive pronouns are formed by adding “-self” (singular) or “-selves” (plural) to personal pronouns like “myself” or “ourselves.”
Reflexive pronoun वह pronoun होता है जो यह बताता है कि sentence का subject ही वह object है जिस पर क्रिया हो रही है। यह सामान्य pronouns से भिन्न होते हैं क्योंकि यह दिखाते हैं कि subject ने खुद पर क्रिया की है। Reflexive pronouns का निर्माण personal pronouns में “-self” (एकवचन) या “-selves” (बहुवचन) जोड़कर होता है, जैसे “myself” या “ourselves”।
Tricky Reflexive Pronouns Examples
Understanding reflexive pronouns can sometimes be tricky due to incorrect usage. People often misuse reflexive pronouns in places where they are not necessary. Here are some examples of tricky reflexive pronouns:
Reflexive pronouns को समझना कई बार confusing हो सकता है, क्योंकि इनका use गलत स्थानों पर किया जा सकता है। कई लोग reflexive pronouns का use वहां करते हैं जहां इसकी ज़रूरत नहीं होती। यहां कुछ tricky reflexive pronouns के examples दिए गए हैं:
Here are some examples of tricky reflexive pronouns:
Myself
Incorrect: “John and myself went to the market.”
Correct: “John and I went to the market.”
Hindi: “John और मैं बाजार गए।”
(Note: “Myself” का use तब किया जाता है जब subject और object एक ही हों।)
Yourself
Incorrect: “You can finish the work yourselfs.”
Correct: “You can finish the work yourself.”
Hindi: “तुम अपना काम खुद कर सकते हो।”
(Note: “Yourselfs” का कोई plural रूप नहीं है, इसका plural “yourselves” होता है।)
Themselves
Incorrect: “They did the work theirselves.”
Correct: “They did the work themselves.”
Hindi: “उन्होंने काम खुद किया।”
(Note: “Theirselves” का use गलत है, सही रूप “themselves” है।)
Reflexive Pronouns Sentences
Here are some common examples of reflexive pronouns used in sentences, along with their Hindi translations:
English: “I taught myself to play the guitar.”
Hindi: “मैंने खुद को guitar बजाना सिखाया।”
English: “She looked at herself in the mirror.”
Hindi: “उसने आईने में खुद को देखा।”
English: “We enjoyed ourselves at the party.”
Hindi: “हमने party में खुद से मज़ा किया।”
English: “They completed the project by themselves.”
Hindi: “उन्होंने खुद से project पूरा किया।”
English: “He injured himself while playing football.”
Hindi: “Football खेलते समय उसने खुद को चोट पहुंचाई।”
When Do We Use Reflexive Pronouns?
We use reflexive pronouns to indicate that the subject of the sentence is also the object of the action. They are commonly used when the subject performs an action on itself. For example, in the sentences “She taught herself to swim” or “They enjoyed themselves at the party,” we show that she is both teaching and learning, and they are both participating and enjoying the event.
जब हमें यह दिखाना हो कि sentence का subject ही क्रिया का object है, तब reflexive pronouns का use किया जाता है। Example के लिए, “उसने खुद को तैरना सिखाया” या “उन्होंने party में खुद से मज़ा किया” में दिखाया गया है कि वह खुद को सिखा रही है, और वे खुद भाग ले रहे हैं और मज़ा कर रहे है।
Reflexive Pronoun Rules
- Using with Subject: Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject and the object refer to the same person or thing.
Example:
English: “I looked at myself in the mirror.”
Hindi: “मैंने आईने में खुद को देखा।”
- Emphasising the Subject: Reflexive pronouns can also be used for emphasis, stressing that the subject is performing the action alone or independently.
Example:
English: “She completed the project by herself.”
Hindi: “उसने project खुद पुरा किया।”
- Using with Prepositions: Reflexive pronouns are often used after prepositions to indicate that the action is directed back to the subject.
Example:
English: “He prepared the meal for himself.”
Hindi: “उसने खाने की तैयारी खुद के लिए की।”
- In the Imperative Form: Reflexive pronouns can be used in commands to instruct someone to perform an action on themselves.
Example:
English: “Prepare yourself for the exam.”
Hindi: “Exam के लिए खुद को तैयार करें।”
- Avoiding Misuse: Reflexive pronouns should not be used in place of subject or object pronouns. Using them incorrectly can lead to confusion.
Example:
Incorrect: “Myself went to the store.”
Correct: “I went to the store.”
Hindi: “मैं दुकान गया।”
- In Questions: Reflexive pronouns can also be used in questions to inquire about actions performed on oneself.
Example:
English: “Did you enjoy yourself at the party?”
Hindi: “क्या तुमने party में खुद से मज़ा किया?”
Typical Errors with Reflexive Pronouns
Using reflexive pronouns correctly is crucial to convey actions performed on oneself and to avoid common mistakes.
Reflexive Pronouns का सही use करना ज़रूरी है ताकि यह बताया जा सके कि कोई क्रिया खुद पर की जा रही है और आम गलतियों से बचा जा सके।
Common Errors:
- Missing Reflexive Pronoun: A frequent mistake is forgetting to include the reflexive pronoun when it is necessary for clarity.
Example:
Incorrect: “She made herself a sandwich.”
Correction: “She made a sandwich.” (without “herself,” the meaning changes)
Hindi:
गलत: “उसने एक sandwich बनाई।”
सही: “उसने खुद के लिए एक sandwich बनाया।” - Using the Wrong Reflexive Pronoun: Sometimes, people confuse which reflexive pronoun to use based on the subject.
Example:
Incorrect: “Himself saw the movie.”
Correction: “He saw the movie himself.”
Hindi:
गलत: “खुद movie देखी।”
सही: “उसने खुद movie देखी।” - Overusing Reflexive Pronouns: Using reflexive pronouns unnecessarily can make sentences awkward or confusing.
Example:
Incorrect: “I myself went to the store myself.”
Correction: “I went to the store.”
Hindi:
गलत: “ मैं खुद दुकान गया खुद के साथ।”
सही: “मैं दुकान गया।” - Confusing Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns are often confused with emphatic pronouns, which are used for emphasis rather than to indicate that the subject performs the action on itself.
Example:
Incorrect: “I did it myself.” (if it’s meant to indicate ownership rather than emphasis)
Correction: “I did it.” (or clarify if emphasis is needed)
Hindi:
गलत: “मैंने खुद किया।”
सही: “मैंने किया।”
Difference Between Reflexive Pronouns and Regular Pronouns
The primary difference between reflexive pronouns and regular pronouns lies in their functions within a sentence. Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject and indicate that the subject is performing an action on itself. In contrast, regular pronouns replace nouns in a sentence without indicating that the action is directed back to the subject.
Reflexive pronouns और regular pronouns में main अंतर यह है कि वे sentence में कैसे काम करते हैं। Reflexive pronouns यह दिखाते हैं कि subject अपने पर खुद क्रिया कर रहा है। दूसरी ओर, regular pronouns sentence में नामों की जगह पर use होते हैं और ये यह नहीं दिखाते कि क्रिया subject पर वापस जा रही है।
Comparison:
Regular Pronoun: “She is reading a book.”
Hindi: “वह एक किताब पढ़ रही है।”
Reflexive Pronoun: “She is reading by herself.”
Hindi: “वह अकेले पढ़ रही है।”
Regular Pronoun: “She baked a cake.”
Hindi: “उसने एक cake बनाया।”
Reflexive Pronoun: “She baked the cake herself.”
Hindi: “उसने खुद ही cake बनाया।”
Regular Pronoun: “They enjoy the party.”
Hindi: “वे party का आनंद ले रहे हैं।”
Reflexive Pronoun: “They enjoyed themselves at the party.”
Hindi: “उन्होंने party में खुद से मज़ा किया।”
Reflexive Pronouns within Compound Sentences
Reflexive pronouns can be effectively used in compound sentences, which are formed by joining two independent clauses. In such sentences, reflexive pronouns indicate that the subject of the sentence is also the object of the action performed in one or both clauses. Understanding how to use reflexive pronouns in compound sentences enhances clarity and emphasises the relationship between actions and subjects.
Reflexive Pronouns का use compound sentence में किया जा सकता है, जो दो स्वतंत्र sentences को जोड़कर बनाए जाते हैं। ऐसे sentences में, Reflexive Pronouns यह दर्शाते हैं कि sentence का subject स्वयं पर क्रिया कर रहा है, जो एक या दोनों sentences में है। Compound sentence में Reflexive Pronouns का सही use करने से बात समझना आसान होता है और क्रियाओं और subjects के बीच के relation को समझना easy होता है।
Example:
- English: “She prepared herself for the meeting, and she also wrote down her thoughts.”
Hindi: “वह meeting के लिए तैयार हुई, और उसने अपने विचार भी लिखे।”
In this example, “herself” shows that she is preparing herself, while the second clause provides additional information about her actions.
- English: “They enjoyed themselves at the concert, but they were exhausted afterward.”
Hindi: “उन्होंने concert में खुद से मज़ा किया, लेकिन वे बाद में थक गए।”
Here, “themselves” indicates that they were actively participating in the enjoyment of the concert.
- English: “I pushed myself to complete the project on time, and I felt proud of my achievement.”
Hindi: “मैंने खुद को project समय पर पूरा करने के लिए प्रेरित किया, और मुझे अपने काम पर गर्व महसूस हुआ।”
The reflexive pronoun “myself” emphasises that the motivation came from within. - English: “She prepared herself for the interview, and she confidently answered all the questions.”
Hindi: “उसने interview के लिए खुद को तैयार किया, और उसने सभी Questions का आत्मविश्वास से Answer दिया।”
The reflexive pronoun “herself” highlights her personal effort in preparation.
Practice Questions Related to Reflexive Pronouns
Fill in the blanks with the correct reflexive pronoun (choose the correct option in brackets):
- I taught __ (myself/yourself) how to swim.
- She prepared __ (herself/themselves) for the presentation.
- They enjoyed __ (ourselves/yourselves) at the party.
- He looked at __ (himself/herself) in the mirror.
- We should take care of __ (ourselves/himself).
- You should believe in __ (yourself/themselves).
- The cat groomed __ (itself/themself) after eating.
- She made a cake by __ (himself/herself).
- I can do it by __ (myself/herself).
- The children dressed __ (themselves/ourselves) for the event.
- He hurt __ (himself/yourselves) while playing.
- They completed the project all by __ (themselves/myself).
- I gave __ (myself/himself) a break after working hard.
- She found __ (herself/themself) in a difficult situation.
- We remind __ (ourselves/themself) to stay positive.
Answers
- myself
- herself
- ourselves
- himself
- ourselves
- yourself
- itself
- herself
- myself
- themselves
- himself
- themselves
- myself
- herself
- ourselves
Conclusion
Understanding and using reflexive pronouns correctly is vital for clear communication. These pronouns help indicate when the subject also acts upon itself, improving clarity in writing. By mastering their use in different tenses and sentence structures, learners can enhance their language skills and avoid common errors. Whether highlighting personal involvement or self-directed actions, reflexive pronouns are key in conveying precise meanings. We’ve discussed their structure, rules, and applications, which will help you in improving your spoken English.
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