Agreement in Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns
Master the essential rules for reciprocal pronouns each other versus one another and learn how reflexive pronouns must align with their subjects for SSC and Banking exams.
Understanding Mutual Actions
In the previous lesson, we saw how a person can do an action to themselves, like looking in a mirror or blaming oneself. But what happens when two or more people do the same action to each other? For example, if Rahul helps Priya and Priya helps Rahul, we say they are helping each other.
This sharing of action is what we call a “reciprocal” relationship. In English grammar, we use specific words to show whether this sharing is happening between two people or a larger group. Understanding these distinctions is vital because the SSC and Banking exams frequently test whether you can spot the difference between two and many.
Reciprocal Pronouns: Sharing the Action
Think of a “reciprocal” action as a “two-way street.” When an action goes from A to B and also from B to A at the same time, we need a reciprocal pronoun.
There are only two main reciprocal pronouns you need to remember:
Each other
Each other Each other One another
One another One another
The Number Rule: 2 versus More Than 2
In competitive exams, examiners follow a very strict mathematical rule for these two terms. Even though people sometimes mix them up in daily talk, you must be precise for your marks.
Each other: Use this when exactly two people or things are involved.
1. Each other: சரியாக இரண்டு நபர்கள் அல்லது பொருள்கள் சம்பந்தப்பட்டு இருக்கும்போது இதைப் பயன்படுத்தவும். 1. Each other: इसका उपयोग तब करें जब ठीक दो लोग या वस्तुएँ शामिल हों। Example: “The twin brothers always support each other.” (Two brothers)
உதாரணம்: “இரட்டைச் சகோதரர்கள் எப்போதும் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் (each other) ஆதரவாக இருக்கிறார்கள்.” (இரு சகோதரர்கள்) उदाहरण: “जुड़वां भाई हमेशा एक-दूसरे (each other) का समर्थन करते हैं।” (दो भाई) Example: “India and Australia are playing against each other.” (Two teams)
உதாரணம்: “இந்தியா மற்றும் ஆஸ்திரேலியா அணிகள் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் (each other) எதிராக விளையாடுகின்றன.” (இரண்டு அணிகள்) उदाहरण: “भारत और ऑस्ट्रेलिया एक-दूसरे के खिलाफ (each other) खेल रहे हैं।” (दो टीमें)
One another: Use this when more than two (three or more) people or things are involved.
2. One another: இரண்டுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட (மூன்று அல்லது அதற்கு மேற்பட்ட) நபர்கள் அல்லது பொருள்கள் சம்பந்தப்பட்டு இருக்கும்போது இதைப் பயன்படுத்தவும். 2. One another: इसका उपयोग तब करें जब दो से अधिक (तीन या अधिक) लोग या वस्तुएँ शामिल हों। Example: “The students in the class were whispering to one another.” (A whole class)
உதாரணம்: “வகுப்பில் உள்ள மாணவர்கள் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் (one another) இரகசியமாகப் பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தனர்.” (ஒரு முழு வகுப்பு) उदाहरण: “कक्षा के छात्र एक-दूसरे (one another) से कानाफूसी कर रहे थे।” (एक पूरी कक्षा) Example: “The five members of the committee argued with one another.” (Five people)
உதாரணம்: “குழுவின் ஐந்து உறுப்பினர்களும் ஒருவருக்கொருவர் (one another) வாதிட்டனர்.” (ஐந்து நபர்கள்) उदाहरण: “समिति के पांचों सदस्यों ने एक-दूसरे (one another) से बहस की।” (पाँच लोग)
Analogy · The Handshake vs The Team Huddle Expand analogy
Think of Each other like a handshake between two people, it requires exactly two hands. Think of One another like a team huddle or a group cheer where many people are involved in the same circle.
The Logical Subject Requirement
A reciprocal pronoun can only be used when the Subject is plural. You cannot say “I like each other” because one person cannot have a mutual relationship alone. The subject must always represent at least two entities.
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| Rahul and Rohan like one another. | Rahul and Rohan like each other. (Since there are two) |
| All the villagers helped each other. | All the villagers helped one another. (Since there are many) |
Reflexive Pronouns: The Mirror Agreement
A reflexive pronoun (like myself, himself, or themselves) acts like a mirror. It reflects the action back to the doer. However, for a mirror to work correctly, it must show the right person. If you look in a mirror, you should see yourself, not someone else.
In grammar, this is called Agreement. The reflexive pronoun must match the subject in:
Person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd)
1. Person (1st, 2nd, அல்லது 3rd) 1. Person (1st, 2nd, या 3rd) Number (Singular or Plural)
2. எண் (Number) (ஒருமை அல்லது பன்மை) 2. वचन (Number) (एकवचन या बहुवचन) Gender (Male, Female, or Neutral)
3. பாலினம் (Gender) (ஆண், பெண், அல்லது நடுநிலை) 3. लिंग (Gender) (पुल्लिंग, स्त्रीलिंग, या तटस्थ)
The Agreement Matrix
Refer to this table to ensure your reflexive pronoun matches the subject every time:
| Subject Pronoun | Reflexive Pronoun | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | Myself | I taught myself to code. |
| You (Singular) | Yourself | You should take care of yourself. |
| He | Himself | He hurt himself while playing. |
| She | Herself | She prepared herself for the exam. |
| It | Itself | The cat cleaned itself. |
| We | Ourselves | We enjoyed ourselves at the party. |
| You (Plural) | Yourselves | All of you must do it yourselves. |
| They | Themselves | They blamed themselves for the loss. |
The “By + Reflexive” Rule
We often use a reflexive pronoun after the word by to show that someone did something alone, without help.
Example: “I solved the puzzle by myself.” (No one helped me).
உதாரணம்: “அனைத்துப் புதிரையும் நானே (by myself) தீர்த்தேன்.” (எனக்கு யாரும் உதவவில்லை). उदाहरण: “मैंने पहेली को अपने आप (by myself) हल किया।” (किसी ने मेरी मदद नहीं की)। Example: “They completed the project by themselves.”
உதாரணம்: “அவர்கள் அந்தத் திட்டத்தை அவர்களே (by themselves) முடித்தனர்.” उदाहरण: “उन्होंने प्रोजेक्ट को खुद ही (by themselves) पूरा किया।“
The “One” Exception
When using the indefinite pronoun One as a subject (meaning “any person”), the reflexive pronoun must be oneself. Do not use himself or themselves here.
Incorrect: One should value hisself.
தவறானது: One should value hisself. गलत: One should value hisself। Correct: One should value oneself.
சரியானது: One should value oneself. सही: One should value oneself।
Common Exam Pitfalls
SSC and Bank examiners often set “traps” using these pronouns. Watch out for these three common mistakes:
1. The “Myself” Subject Trap
A reflexive pronoun can never be the subject of a sentence. It needs a main subject to reflect back to. This is common in introductions and compound subjects.
Incorrect: Myself will complete the work.
தவறானது: Myself will complete the work. गलत: Myself will complete the work। Correct: I will complete the work.
சரியானது: I will complete the work. सही: I will complete the work। Incorrect: Rahul and myself went there.
தவறானது: Rahul and myself went there. गलत: Rahul and myself went there। Correct: Rahul and I went there. (Since ‘Rahul and I’ is the compound subject).
சரியானது: Rahul and I went there. (ஏனெனில் ‘Rahul and I’ என்பதே சரியான கூட்டு எழுவாய் ஆகும்). सही: Rahul and I went there। (चूंकि ‘Rahul and I’ संयुक्त विषय है)।
2. The Possessive Form Error
When you want to show that something belongs to “each other,” the apostrophe goes before the ‘s’.
Incorrect: They took each others bags.
தவறானது: They took each others bags. गलत: They took each others bags। Correct: They took each other’s bags.
சரியானது: They took each other’s bags. सही: They took each other’s bags। Correct: They fought for one another’s rights.
சரியானது: They fought for one another’s rights. सही: They fought for one another’s rights।
3. Redundancy with “Themselves"
Do not use a reflexive pronoun and a reciprocal pronoun together for the same relationship.
Incorrect: They talked to themselves each other.
தவறானது: They talked to themselves each other. गलत: They talked to themselves each other। Correct: They talked to each other.
சரியானது: They talked to each other. सही: They talked to each other।
4. Distributive Pronoun Agreement
Words like everyone, everybody, and every one are logically singular. In formal exams, they must be followed by a singular reflexive pronoun (himself or herself).
Incorrect: Everyone should prepare themselves.
தவறானது: Everyone should prepare themselves. गलत: Everyone should prepare themselves। Correct: Everyone should prepare himself.
சரியானது: Everyone should prepare himself. सही: Everyone should prepare himself।
Key Takeaways
Use Each other when the conversation involves exactly two people or things.
சரியாக இரண்டு நபர்கள் அல்லது பொருள்கள் சம்பந்தப்படும்போது Each other என்பதைப் பயன்படுத்தவும். जब बातचीत में ठीक दो लोग या वस्तुएँ शामिल हों, तो Each other का उपयोग करें। Use One another when the conversation involves more than two people or things.
இரண்டுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட நபர்கள் அல்லது பொருள்கள் சம்பந்தப்படும்போது One another என்பதைப் பயன்படுத்தவும். जब बातचीत में दो से अधिक लोग या वस्तुएँ शामिल हों, तो One another का उपयोग करें। A Reflexive pronoun must always agree with its subject (I refers to myself, They refers to themselves).
ஒரு Reflexive pronoun எப்போதும் அதன் Subject-உடன் ஒத்துப்போக வேண்டும் (I என்றால் myself, They என்றால் themselves). एक Reflexive pronoun को हमेशा अपने Subject के साथ सहमत होना चाहिए (I अगर myself, They अगर themselves)। Never use a reflexive pronoun like myself or himself as the subject of a sentence.
ஒருபோதும் myself அல்லது himself போன்ற reflexive pronoun-களை ஒரு வாக்கியத்தின் Subject-ஆகப் பயன்படுத்தாதீர்கள். वाक्य के Subject के रूप में myself या himself जैसे reflexive pronoun का उपयोग कभी न करें। Always use the apostrophe correctly for possession: each other’s or one another’s.
உடமையைக் குறிக்க apostrophe-ஐ எப்போதும் சரியாகப் பயன்படுத்தவும்: each other’s அல்லது one another’s. स्वामित्व (possession) के लिए हमेशा अपोस्ट्रोफी का सही ढंग से उपयोग करें: each other’s या one another’s।
In the next lesson, we will examine a very specific rule regarding the dummy subject It and the case of the pronoun that follows it where we cover the mechanics of Placeholder subjects, choosing the right Pronoun case and Agreement in the relative clause.
Check Your Understanding
Test your knowledge with these practice questions
Agreement in Reflexive and Reciprocal Pronouns - Practice Quiz
Test your knowledge on the strict rules of each other versus one another and master reflexive pronoun agreement for SSC and Banking exams.
Reviews & Ratings
What readers think about this lesson
About Scoreclever
Your Complete Learning Ecosystem
Scoreclever helps you master Current Affairs, English Language, and General Awareness for all Banking, SSC, Railway, and Defence exams. The Scoreclever app has innovative learning technique that make memorization and revision effortless.
Explore Scoreclever