WREN & MARTIN's English grammar-reflexive pronouns for competitive examinations

 

REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS — MCQs for Competitive Examinations

(Based on Wren & Martin's English Grammar)

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Average Standard

1. She looked at ________ in the mirror before leaving for the party.

• A) her
• B) she
• C) herself
• D) hers

2. The children enjoyed ________ at the picnic yesterday.

• A) them
• B) their
• C) they
• D) themselves

3. He hurt ________ while playing football in the ground.

• A) him
• B) his
• C) himself
• D) he

4. I will do this work ________ and will not need any help.

• A) me
• B) my
• C) mine
• D) myself

5. The old man lives all by ________ in that small house.

• A) him
• B) his
• C) himself
• D) he

6. We must believe in ________ if we want to succeed in life.

• A) us
• B) our
• C) ourselves
• D) ours

7. Choose the correct sentence:

• A) Please give the form to either Ravi or myself.
• B) Please give the form to either Ravi or me.
• C) Please give the form to either Ravi or I.
• D) Please give the form to either Ravi or mine.

8. The manager ________ admitted that the decision was wrong.

• A) him
• B) himself
• C) his
• D) he

9. You should not blame ________ for what happened — it was not your fault.

• A) you
• B) your
• C) yours
• D) yourself

10. Identify the error in the following sentence: "My brother and myself went to the railway station to receive our uncle."

• A) My brother
• B) and myself
• C) to receive
• D) our uncle
• E) No error

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Answers

1. C) herself A reflexive pronoun is used when the subject and the object of the verb refer to the same person. Here "she" (subject) looked at "herself" (object) — both refer to the same person. Wren & Martin states that reflexive pronouns are formed by adding "-self" or "-selves" to the personal pronoun.

2. D) themselves "The children" (subject) enjoyed (verb) "themselves" (object) — subject and object refer to the same people. "Themselves" is the reflexive form of the third person plural pronoun "they." Wren & Martin lists "themselves" as the reflexive pronoun for "they/them."

3. C) himself "He" (subject) hurt "himself" (object) — both refer to the same male person. "Him" is an object pronoun referring to a different person, whereas "himself" correctly reflects back to the subject. Wren & Martin: reflexive pronoun must agree in person, number, and gender with its subject.

4. D) myself Here "myself" is used as an emphatic pronoun to stress that the subject "I" will do the work without any outside help. Wren & Martin distinguishes between reflexive use (object = subject) and emphatic use (to add emphasis to the subject). Both uses employ the same "-self" form.

5. C) himself The phrase "by himself" means alone or without anyone's help. Wren & Martin lists "by oneself / by himself / by herself" as standard expressions using reflexive pronouns to convey the meaning of solitude or independence. "By him" would incorrectly refer to another person.

6. C) ourselves "We" (subject) must believe in "ourselves" (object of preposition "in") — both refer to the same group of people. Prepositions can also be followed by reflexive pronouns when the object refers back to the subject. Wren & Martin: "ourselves" is the reflexive form of "we/us."

7. B) Please give the form to either Ravi or me. Wren & Martin clearly states that reflexive pronouns like "myself" cannot be used as a substitute for personal pronouns. "Myself" is only used when the subject of the sentence is "I." Since "I" is not the subject here, "me" (object pronoun after preposition "to") is the correct choice.

8. B) himself Here "himself" is used as an emphatic pronoun to stress that it was the manager — and no one else — who admitted the mistake. Wren & Martin: emphatic pronouns are placed immediately after the noun or pronoun they emphasise. The sentence can also be written as: "The manager admitted himself that..."

9. D) yourself "You" (subject) should not blame "yourself" (object) — both refer to the same person. This is a reflexive use where the action of the verb "blame" turns back upon the subject. Wren & Martin: when subject and object of the verb are the same person, a reflexive pronoun must be used.

10. B) and myself This is a very commonly tested error. "Myself" cannot be used as a subject of a sentence. The subject pronoun "I" must be used here. Correct sentence: "My brother and I went to the railway station to receive our uncle." Wren & Martin strictly states that "myself" is used only when "I" appears earlier in the same sentence as the subject.