Micro-listening
Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns: Practical Usage Guide
What is the difference between possessive and reflexive pronouns?
Possessive pronouns show who owns something; reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of an action. For example, 'The green folder is hers' shows ownership, while 'Sam taught himself to swim' shows that Sam did and received the action. Possessive pronouns stand alone, with no noun immediately after them.
Key points
- Possessive pronouns replace an owned noun phrase.
- Do not put a noun immediately after 'mine' or 'yours'.
- Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject receives its own action.
- Use ordinary object pronouns after prepositions for physical location.
This lesson has 5 stages. You can stop at any time and continue later.
At a glance
| Form | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Possessive pronoun | Shows ownership and replaces a noun phrase. | The green scarf is hers. |
| Reflexive pronoun | Refers to the same person as the subject. | He introduced himself. |
| Possessive determiner | Comes before the owned noun. | Their flat is upstairs. |
| Emphatic reflexive | Adds emphasis; the sentence works without it. | She painted the room herself. |
Stage 1 of 5
Understand
What it means, when to use it, and mistakes to avoid.
The full explanation
Possessive pronouns stand alone in place of an owned noun phrase to show belonging: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs. Reflexive pronouns end in -self or -selves and indicate that the subject of the clause is also the recipient of the action: myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, and themselves.
The blue umbrella near the door is hers.
Why it works: Hers stands alone as an independent possessive pronoun replacing her umbrella.
2 more examples
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Marcus prepared himself for the interview by practicing common questions.
Marcus is both the person preparing and the person being prepared, requiring himself.
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Our colleagues finished their summary, but we are still editing ours.
Ours replaces our summary at the end of the sentence without adding another noun.
Read the full guide
Decide Between an Owner and a Self-Directed Action
When choosing between these two pronoun families, identify what information is missing from the clause. Ask yourself whether the sentence identifies who owns a specific item, or whether the subject is performing an action on the subject. If an item belongs to someone and the noun is already clear, you need an independent possessive pronoun such as mine or hers. If the person who acts is also the recipient of that action, you need a reflexive pronoun ending in -self or -selves.
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These printed schedules are ours.
Why it works: Ours shows ownership of the schedules without repeating the noun.
-
Marcus introduced himself to the committee.
Why it works: Marcus both did the introducing and received the introduction.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun: 'Elena made ___ a fresh pot of coffee before the morning shift started.'
Answer: herself
Show the answer
Answer: herself
Elena is the subject performing the action, and she also receives the coffee. A reflexive pronoun ending in -self is required here.
Replace Noun Phrases with Standalone Possessive Forms
Independent possessive pronouns stand completely alone because they already include the idea of the noun. Words such as mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs substitute for a possessive determiner plus a noun. Because the object is already represented by the pronoun, placing a second noun immediately afterward is ungrammatical. Listeners rely on the earlier context to know which item is being discussed, so ensure the noun was stated previously or is visible in the immediate setting.
-
Your laptop is on the desk, but mine is still inside the bag.
Why it works: Mine stands in place of my laptop, preventing repetitive phrasing.
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They brought their badges, but we forgot ours.
Why it works: Ours replaces our badges at the end of the clause.
You can practise this again in Possessive adjectives: quick practical rules and Attitude Adverbs: A Practical Guide.
Your turn
Which sentence correctly uses an independent possessive pronoun?
Answer: This locker is mine.
Show the answer
Answer: This locker is mine.
Mine replaces my locker entirely. Possessive pronouns do not take another noun after them.
Keep Possessive Pronouns Separate from Modifiers
Learners often mix possessive adjectives with possessive pronouns because they express similar ideas of ownership. Possessive adjectives like my, your, her, our, and their are determiners that require a following noun to form a complete phrase. Possessive pronouns like mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs finish a noun phrase independently. If a noun sits directly after the word, choose the shorter adjective form; if the noun is absent, select the pronoun form.
-
That is your desk, and this workstation is yours as well.
Why it works: Your modifies desk, while yours stands alone as the subject complement.
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Our office opens at eight, but theirs opens at nine.
Why it works: Our comes before office, whereas theirs replaces their office entirely.
Your turn
Select the sentence that uses both forms correctly.
Answer: Our team submitted the project, but their team forgot theirs.
Show the answer
Answer: Our team submitted the project, but their team forgot theirs.
Our modifies the noun team, whereas theirs stands alone to mean their project.
Handle the Form His and Avoid Its as an Independent Pronoun
The word his creates confusion because it serves two distinct functions without changing spelling. It can act as a modifier before a noun, or it can stand alone as an independent possessive pronoun. By contrast, English avoids using its as an independent possessive pronoun in natural conversation. When referring to something owned by an organization, animal, or object, native speakers rephrase the sentence with a possessive noun phrase rather than leaving its alone.
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David left his notebook here, so this black binder is his.
Why it works: The first his modifies notebook; the second his stands alone as a pronoun.
-
The company updated its handbook, so the final policy belongs to the company.
Why it works: English rephrases the thought instead of ending the clause with the standalone pronoun its.
Your turn
Why is the clause 'The dog found the ball, and the toy was its' unnatural in everyday English?
Answer: Modern English avoids using its as an independent pronoun without a noun.
Show the answer
Answer: Modern English avoids using its as an independent pronoun without a noun.
While its functions smoothly before a noun as an adjective, standard English avoids its as an isolated possessive pronoun.
Pair Singular Subjects with the Correct Reflexive Ending
Singular reflexive pronouns end in the suffix -self and must agree with the person and grammatical gender of the subject. Use myself with I, yourself with singular you, himself with male singular subjects, herself with female singular subjects, and itself with singular objects or animals. When you construct a sentence, confirm that the subject and the object pronoun point to the exact same entity. If another person receives the action, use an object pronoun like me or him instead.
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I cut myself while slicing lemons in the kitchen.
Why it works: The subject I and the recipient of the cut myself are the exact same individual.
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The kitten frightened itself by jumping into the mirror.
Why it works: Itself reflects back to the singular animal kitten.
Your turn
Choose the correct pronoun: 'Arthur challenged ___ to run five miles every morning.'
Answer: himself
Show the answer
Answer: himself
Arthur is the subject acting on himself. Himself is the correct singular masculine reflexive form.
Use -selves for Plural Subjects and Modern Singular They
Plural reflexive pronouns always end in -selves rather than -self. Use ourselves for we, yourselves when addressing more than one person, and themselves for plural third-person groups. In contemporary spoken and written English, themselves is also standard when referring to a singular individual whose gender is unspecified, unknown, or non-binary. Remember that forms like theirselves or ourself are non-standard in professional English and should be avoided in formal work settings.
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We organized the entire workshop ourselves.
Why it works: Ourselves matches the first-person plural subject we.
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Each participant should register themselves at the reception counter.
Why it works: Themselves agrees with the singular non-specific subject each participant in modern English.
Your turn
Which sentence uses standard English for plural reflexive forms?
Answer: The technicians repaired the heating unit themselves.
Show the answer
Answer: The technicians repaired the heating unit themselves.
The standard plural third-person reflexive pronoun is themselves. Forms like theirselves are non-standard.
Recognize When Reflexive Pronouns Add Emphasis Rather Than Objects
Reflexive pronouns can also function as intensive pronouns, giving extra emphasis to the person who carried out an event. In this role, the pronoun does not act as the direct object of the verb. Instead, it highlights that the individual acted personally or without assistance from others. You can identify this emphatic use by testing whether the sentence remains grammatically whole without the pronoun. If the meaning stays intact, the pronoun serves to stress independence or surprise.
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The department director herself signed the approval letter.
Why it works: Herself emphasizes that the director signed personally, not through an assistant.
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I built this storage shelf myself over the weekend.
Why it works: Myself stresses that the speaker completed the construction without help.
Your turn
In which sentence does the reflexive pronoun function only for emphasis?
Answer: The architect designed the new annex herself.
Show the answer
Answer: The architect designed the new annex herself.
If you remove herself, 'The architect designed the new annex' remains a complete grammatical sentence. It simply emphasizes who completed the design.
Spot Common Form Errors and Overused Reflexive Pronouns
A frequent error among language learners is inserting reflexive pronouns where standard object pronouns are required. This often occurs in compound phrases, such as incorrectly saying 'Contact Sarah or myself.' In prepositional phrases of physical location, English also uses ordinary object pronouns rather than reflexive pronouns, as in 'He pulled the chair toward him.' Use a reflexive pronoun only when the action specifically loops back to the subject or provides genuine personal emphasis.
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Please send the finalized itinerary to Clara and me.
Why it works: Me is the standard object pronoun; myself is incorrect here because Clara and me are objects.
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She placed the heavy storage box beside her on the bench.
Why it works: Prepositions of physical location take simple object pronouns like her rather than reflexives.
Your turn
Select the sentence that avoids an unnecessary reflexive pronoun.
Answer: He pulled the blanket over him before falling asleep.
Show the answer
Answer: He pulled the blanket over him before falling asleep.
English uses standard object pronouns like him after prepositions expressing physical location.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
This folder is hers folder.Say: This folder is hers.
'Hers' replaces the noun phrase, so no noun immediately follows it.
-
Not this:
The guests introduced theirselves.Say: The guests introduced themselves.
'Themselves' is the standard plural reflexive form.
-
Not this:
Send the notes to Ben and myself.Say: Send the notes to Ben and me.
Use the ordinary object pronoun 'me' in this compound object.
Questions about "Possessive and Reflexive Pronouns: Practical Usage Guide"
Why can I not say 'this is mine car'?
The word mine is an independent possessive pronoun that already replaces the entire noun phrase my car. When you place a noun after the possessive word, English requires the possessive determiner my instead. Saying 'this is mine car' repeats the noun concept unnecessarily and violates standard word order.
This is my car parked outside.
The blue car parked outside is mine.
How do I decide between using him and himself in a sentence?
Look at the subject of the clause. If the subject is the same male person who receives the action, use himself. If the subject is a different person or entity performing the action on that male person, use the standard object pronoun him.
David bought himself a new winter jacket.
Elena bought him a new winter jacket.
Is theirselves acceptable in modern English?
No, theirselves is considered non-standard in English grammar. Although you might occasionally hear it in casual dialects, professional communication always uses themselves. Always write and say themselves when referring back to a plural subject or generic singular they.
The visitors helped themselves to water and fruit.
Each guest introduced themselves before the talk.
Should I use myself or me after prepositions like 'between' or 'beside'?
Use me after prepositions unless the action specifically loops back to you as the subject. In phrases like 'between you and me' or 'he sat beside me', me is the object of the preposition. Use myself only when you are also the subject of the action, as in 'I kept the secret to myself.'
Between you and me, the new proposal needs revision.
I poured a glass of cold water for myself.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose a possessive pronoun when you need to replace an owned noun without repetition: 'That seat is yours.' Choose a reflexive pronoun when the subject acts upon the same subject: 'They introduced themselves.' Ensure singular forms end in -self and plural forms end in -selves, and keep regular object pronouns in standard compound objects.
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Use: possessive and Reflexive Pronouns: Practical Usage Guide
You could start with “When we noticed the mix-up on the table, I pointed out that the blue notebook was mine…”
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