REFLEXIVE PRONOUN

Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language | 1998 | 700+ words | Copyright

REFLEXIVE PRONOUN. A PRONOUN that ends in -self or -selves. Such pronouns are used when the direct and sometimes the indirect object of a verb ‘reflects’ or refers back to the subject: I blame myself for what happened; They have allowed themselves another week. Occasionally some other part of the sentence may also reflect the subject: She pulled the box towards herself. In standard English, a reflexive pronoun cannot usually serve as the subject of a sentence (no *Myself did it), but especially in Scotland and Ireland, under the influence of Gaelic, there is a mock-prestigious use of the third-person singular (Is himself at home?, It was herself answered the phone), deriving from usages that formerly referred to kings and chiefs: Himself has eaten, the rest of the world may eat.

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TOM McARTHUR. "REFLEXIVE PRONOUN." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

TOM McARTHUR. "REFLEXIVE PRONOUN." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-REFLEXIVEPRONOUN.html

TOM McARTHUR. "REFLEXIVE PRONOUN." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-REFLEXIVEPRONOUN.html

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