flowexam.com teacher explaining indefinite pronouns (someone, anybody, nothing, everyone) in English on a blackboard for TOEIC® exam preparation, complete with examples and grammar rules

Someone, anyone, everyone... mastering indefinite pronouns for the TOEIC®

(Updated: January 23, 2026)

Flow Exam team

Someone, Anyone, Everyone… Mastering Reflexive Pronouns for the TOEIC®

Reflexive pronouns (myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, yourselves, themselves) refer back to the subject of the sentence.

They indicate that the subject is performing the action on themselves.

In the TOEIC®, they frequently appear in Parts 5 and 6. Test designers often exploit the confusion between reflexive pronouns, object pronouns (me, you, him...), and constructions using "by + reflexive pronoun".

Their most common trap: placing a reflexive pronoun after a verb that doesn't require one, such as "feel" or "relax".

When to Use a Reflexive Pronoun (And When to Avoid It)

Reflexive pronouns are used in three specific cases.

Classic Reflexive Action: The subject performs the action on itself.

  • "She introduced herself to the new manager."
    (Elle s'est présentée au nouveau manager.)
  • "The CEO himself reviewed the proposal."
    (Le PDG lui-même a relu la proposition.)

Emphasis: To insist that this specific person (and no one else) performed the action.

  • "I repaired the printer myself."
    (J'ai réparé l'imprimante moi-même.)

After "by": To indicate doing something "alone" or "without help".

  • "He completed the report by himself."
    (Il a terminé le rapport tout seul.)

Verbs That Never Take a Reflexive Pronoun

Many test-takers incorrectly add a reflexive pronoun after verbs that do not require one in English.
These verbs might be reflexive in their native language but are not in English.

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This is a point we frequently emphasize when preparing candidates for the TOEIC®. This error can cost many points in Part 5 and comes up very often in pronoun questions.

Reflexive Pronoun or Object Pronoun?

Confusion between reflexive pronouns and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) causes the majority of errors.

Simple Rule: Use the reflexive pronoun if the subject and the object are the same person. Otherwise, use the object pronoun.

  • "The manager asked me to send the files."
    (Le manager m'a demandé d'envoyer les fichiers.)

→ "Manager" ≠ "me" → Object pronoun

  • "I asked myself why the meeting was canceled."
    (Je me suis demandé pourquoi la réunion était annulée.)

→ "I" = "myself" → Reflexive pronoun

Comparison Chart

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Specific TOEIC® Traps

Part 5 questions often play on two recurring points of confusion.

Trap 1: French Pronominal Verbs ≠ English Reflexive Verbs

Many French-speaking candidates we coach tend to transfer structures from French ("se souvenir", "se demander") directly into English.

  • "I wonder why the shipment is late." (Je me demande pourquoi la livraison est en retard.)

Some might be tempted to say: "I wonder myself..."

Trap 2: Confusion with "by + pronoun"

  • "By myself/yourself/himself..." means "alone", "without help". But be careful not to confuse this with "for myself" (for me) or "to myself" (to myself).
  • "She works better by herself." (Elle travaille mieux seule.)
  • "I kept the information to myself." (J'ai gardé l'information pour moi.)

Quick Method for Choosing

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Errors to Absolutely Avoid

The most frequent mistakes in Parts 5 and 6.

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Essentially, the candidates who progress the fastest do the same thing: they systematically check whether the subject and the object are identical before choosing a pronoun. Just doing this helps eliminate the vast majority of errors.

Ready to Take Action?

Reflexive pronouns account for 3 to 5 questions in Parts 5 and 6 on every TOEIC® test. This is an easy grammar point to master with some targeted practice.

On Flow Exam, you can practice directly on the Pronouns topic in Part 5, with thousands of questions formatted exactly like those on the official TOEIC®.

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