English Language Arts
Grade 4
15 min
Use the correct homophone
Use the correct homophone
Tutorial Preview
1
Introduction & Learning Objectives
Learning Objectives
Define a reflexive pronoun and its function in a sentence.
Identify the correct one-word spelling of reflexive pronouns like 'themselves' and 'itself'.
Explain why common errors like 'them selves' and 'it's self' are incorrect.
Use the reflexive pronoun 'themselves' correctly in a sentence to refer to a plural subject.
Use the reflexive pronoun 'itself' correctly in a sentence to refer to a singular subject.
Proofread sentences and correct sound-alike errors involving reflexive pronouns.
Have you ever seen a group of puppies get all tangled up? You could say, 'The puppies tangled...' them selves or themselves? Let's figure out which one is right! 🐶
Today, we are going to lea...
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Key Concepts & Vocabulary
TermDefinitionExample
Reflexive PronounA special pronoun that ends in -self or -selves. It is used when the subject of the sentence is also the object of the action.The students taught themselves how to play chess. ('students' is the subject, and they are the ones being taught).
Sound-Alike ErrorA common spelling mistake where an incorrect phrase sounds like a correct word. This is a type of homophone confusion.Writing 'them selves' (incorrect) when you mean 'themselves' (correct).
SubjectThe person, place, thing, or idea that is doing or being something in a sentence.In 'The players prepared themselves for the game,' the subject is 'The players'.
ThemselvesThe correct reflexive pronoun to use when the subject is plural (more than one pers...
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Key Rules & Conventions
The One-Word Rule
Reflexive pronouns are always one single word.
Never split a reflexive pronoun into two words. For example, 'themselves' is one word, not 'them selves'. 'Myself' is one word, not 'my self'.
The Subject-Matching Rule
The reflexive pronoun must match the subject of the sentence.
If the subject is plural (like 'the kids' or 'they'), use a plural reflexive pronoun ('themselves'). If the subject is singular (like 'the dog' or 'it'), use a singular reflexive pronoun ('itself').
The Correct Endings Rule
Use '-self' for singular subjects and '-selves' for plural subjects.
Words like 'hisself' or 'theirselves' are not re...
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Challenging
Read the following sentences. Which one is completely correct according to all the rules in the tutorial?
A.The parents were proud of them selves for finishing the project.
B.The two teams considered theirselves rivals.
C.The new computer, which has many features, turns it's self on every morning.
D.The children taught themselves how to play the new game.
Challenging
An editor sees this sentence: 'The chefs, who were famous for their desserts, prided them selves on their perfect cakes.' What is the best way to fix this sentence and why?
A.Change 'them selves' to 'themselves' because reflexive pronouns must always be one word.
B.Change 'them selves' to 'theirselves' to match the possessive pronoun 'their'.
C.Change 'chefs' to 'chef' to match the singular idea of pride.
D.The sentence is already correct and needs no changes.
Challenging
The tutorial shows 'himself' and 'themselves' are correct, but 'hisself' and 'theirselves' are common mistakes. What is the most likely reason for this rule?
A.The first part of a reflexive pronoun is based on an object pronoun (like 'him', 'them'), not an ownership word (like 'his', 'their').
B.Reflexive pronouns can never start with the letters 'h' or 't'.
C.'Hisself' and 'theirselves' are old-fashioned words that are no longer used.
D.The '-self' part can only be attached to pronouns that have one syllable.
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