Intermediate pronouns. 45 questions on reflexive, relative, and demonstrative pronouns.
What this test covers
- Reflexive & Intensive
- Relative Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
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Q1After the long meeting, the manager (male) decided to treat ___ to a coffee.
Answer: B. himself
We use the reflexive pronoun 'himself' because the subject ('the manager') and the object of the verb 'treat' are the same person. The pronoun 'him' would imply he is treating a different person.
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Q2I ___ saw the celebrity walk into the building, so I am certain it was her.
Answer: C. myself
In this sentence, 'myself' is used as an intensive (or emphatic) pronoun. It follows the subject 'I' directly to emphasize that I saw her with my own eyes, not through someone else's report.
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Q3The children enjoyed ___ at the park yesterday.
Answer: B. themselves
The verb 'enjoy' is often used with a reflexive pronoun when the subject is having a good time. Since 'children' is plural, we use 'themselves'. Using 'them' would mean they made some other people happy.
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Q4You should not blame ___ for the mistake; it was an accident.
Answer: A. yourself
Since the subject is 'you' and the person being blamed is also 'you', we need the reflexive pronoun 'yourself'. The forms 'your' and 'yours' are possessive and do not fit the object position here.
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Q5The President (female) ___ announced the new policy during the press conference.
Answer: D. herself
We use 'herself' as an intensive pronoun here to emphasize that the President did the task personally. This adds importance to the action. 'She' is a subject pronoun and cannot be used for emphasis in this position.
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Q6We taught ___ how to play the guitar using online videos.
Answer: D. ourselves
When the subject 'we' performs an action where the benefit or result returns to the same group, we use the reflexive pronoun 'ourselves'. Using 'us' would suggest that someone else taught the group.
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Q7My sister and I looked at ___ in the mirror to check our makeup.
Answer: C. ourselves
The compound subject 'My sister and I' is equivalent to 'we'. When the subjects perform an action upon themselves, we use 'ourselves'. 'Us' is an object pronoun, but 'ourselves' is required for reflexive actions.
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Q8Even the professor (male) ___ admitted that the exam was incredibly difficult.
Answer: D. himself
The intensive pronoun 'himself' emphasizes that even the person you would least expect to complain about the difficulty—the professor—admitted it. This reinforces the subject's identity.
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Q9Be careful with that knife; you might cut ___.
Answer: A. yourself
The reflexive pronoun 'yourself' is used here because the subject (the implied 'you' of the imperative) and the object (the person getting cut) are the same.
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Q10The house ___ is beautiful, but the garden needs a lot of work.
Answer: D. itself
We use 'itself' as an intensive pronoun to focus specifically on the house as opposed to other parts of the property, like the garden. 'It's' is a contraction of 'it is', and 'its' is possessive.
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Q11They prepared ___ for the long journey ahead.
Answer: A. themselves
The subject 'they' is performing the action (preparing) on themselves. Therefore, the reflexive pronoun 'themselves' is required. 'Them' would imply they were preparing some other people.
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Q12I ___ have never seen such a strange phenomenon.
Answer: C. myself
The intensive pronoun 'myself' is used here to add personal emphasis to the statement 'I have never seen...'. It highlights the speaker's personal experience.
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Q13She decided to keep the secret to ___.
Answer: D. herself
The phrase 'keep something to oneself' is an idiom using reflexive pronouns. Since the subject is 'she', the correct form is 'herself'.
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Q14The cat groomed ___ after eating its dinner.
Answer: B. itself
Animals are usually referred to with the pronoun 'it'. When the cat (subject) performs the action (grooming) on itself (object), we use the reflexive pronoun 'itself'.
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Q15You and your brother should tidy your rooms ___.
Answer: C. yourselves
The subject 'You and your brother' is plural (you plural). Therefore, we use the plural reflexive pronoun 'yourselves' to show that they must do the work without help.
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Q16The man ___ lives next door is a retired teacher.
Answer: A. who
We use the relative pronoun 'who' because it refers to a person ('the man') and serves as the subject of the verb 'lives'. 'Which' is used for things, and 'whose' is for possession.
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Q17The book ___ you recommended is out of stock.
Answer: D. that
For objects or things like 'the book', we use 'that' or 'which' in a relative clause. 'Who' and 'whom' are reserved for people.
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Q18To ___ should I address this letter?
Answer: A. whom
In formal English, after a preposition like 'to', we must use the object form 'whom' when referring to a person. While 'who' is common in spoken English, 'whom' is the correct choice following a preposition.
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Q19The girl ___ bag was stolen has reported it to the police.
Answer: A. whose
'Whose' is the relative pronoun used to show possession. It indicates that the bag belongs to the girl. 'Who' and 'whom' cannot show possession.
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Q20The car ___ I bought last year is already having engine trouble.
Answer: D. which
We use 'which' (or 'that') for things and animals. Since 'the car' is an inanimate object, 'which' is the correct relative pronoun. 'Who' and 'whom' are only for people.
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Q21In formal English, he is the person ___ I admire the most.
Answer: C. whom
In formal grammar, 'whom' is the object form of the relative pronoun. Here, it is the object of the verb 'admire' (I admire him). 'Who' is common in casual speech, but in the formal register specified, 'whom' is the required choice.
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Q22This is the house ___ was built in the 19th century.
Answer: A. that
'That' is a relative pronoun used for things. It acts as the subject of the verb 'was built'. 'Who' and 'whom' are only used for people.
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Q23The students ___ study hard usually get good grades.
Answer: A. who
We use 'who' to refer to people ('students') when the pronoun is the subject of the following verb ('study'). 'Which' is used for things.
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Q24The company ___ hired me is expanding rapidly.
Answer: A. which
A company is treated as a thing or a collective entity, so we use 'which' (or 'that'). 'Whom' and 'whose' are not appropriate here because the company is the subject and is not a person.
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Q25In formal English, the lady ___ you met yesterday is my aunt.
Answer: A. whom
The lady is the object of the verb 'met' (you met her). In formal English, 'whom' is required as the object form of the relative pronoun for people, as specified by the question.
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Q26I have a friend ___ father is a famous doctor.
Answer: B. whose
'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun. It is used here to show that the father belongs to the friend.
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Q27The movie ___ we watched was quite boring.
Answer: C. that
We use 'that' or 'which' for things like 'the movie'. 'Who' and 'whom' are for people, and 'whose' is for possession.
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Q28Anyone ___ needs assistance should contact the help desk.
Answer: B. who
The relative pronoun 'who' refers to 'Anyone' (people) and acts as the subject of the verb 'needs'. 'Whom' would be the object form.
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Q29The bicycle ___ wheels were damaged has been repaired.
Answer: B. whose
'Whose' is used to show possession for both people and things. In this case, it indicates the wheels belong to the bicycle.
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Q30The people ___ live in this apartment are very quiet.
Answer: C. who
We use 'who' for people when the pronoun is the subject of the relative clause verb ('live'). 'Which' is for things, and 'whom' is the object form.
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Q31___ are the best days of my life.
Answer: D. These
Because 'days' is a plural noun, we must use a plural demonstrative pronoun. 'These' refers to plural items that are close in time or space, whereas 'this' and 'that' are singular.
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Q32In formal English, the man ___ I spoke to yesterday is the manager.
Answer: D. whom
In the relative clause, 'whom' is the object of the preposition 'to' (I spoke to him). In the formal register specified, 'whom' is required as the correct object form for people.
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Q33___ was the most delicious meal I have ever eaten.
Answer: A. That
We use 'that' as a singular demonstrative pronoun to refer to something in the past (a finished meal). 'Those' and 'these' are plural.
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Q34The cat cleaned ___ after playing in the mud.
Answer: A. itself
The reflexive pronoun 'itself' is used because the cat (subject) is performing the action (cleaning) on itself.
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Q35The house ___ roof was damaged in the storm has been repaired.
Answer: C. whose
'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun. It is used here to show that the roof belongs to the house.
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Q36Look at ___ clouds in the distance; they look like rain.
Answer: C. those
'Clouds' is plural, and the phrase 'in the distance' tells us they are far away. Therefore, we use the plural demonstrative 'those'.
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Q37___ are the best cookies I have ever tasted.
Answer: A. These
'Cookies' is plural, so we need a plural demonstrative. 'These' is used for plural items that are near to the speaker.
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Q38The students ___ finished the exam early left the room.
Answer: A. who
The relative pronoun 'who' refers to the 'students' and is the subject of the verb 'finished'. 'Whom' is only used as an object.
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Q39I accidentally cut ___ while chopping vegetables.
Answer: D. myself
Since the subject 'I' performed the action on the same person, we use the reflexive pronoun 'myself'. 'Me' is an object pronoun but is not reflexive.
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Q40___ is my favorite pen; please don't take it.
Answer: A. This
'Pen' is singular, and the context suggests it is near the speaker. 'This' is the singular demonstrative for nearby objects.
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Q41The book ___ is on the table belongs to my brother.
Answer: C. that
For inanimate objects like 'the book', we use the relative pronoun 'that' (or 'which'). 'Who' and 'whom' are only for people.
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Q42___ is the most beautiful painting in the gallery.
Answer: D. That
Since 'painting' is singular, we need a singular demonstrative pronoun. 'That' is used to identify a specific singular object, often at a distance or for focus.
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Q43In formal English, the woman ___ you saw at the party is my cousin.
Answer: B. whom
In the relative clause 'you saw...', the woman is the object of the verb 'saw' (you saw her). In the formal register specified, 'whom' is required for people in the object position.
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Q44They decided to treat ___ to a nice dinner.
Answer: B. themselves
The subject 'they' is doing the action to themselves, so the reflexive pronoun 'themselves' is required. 'Them' would mean they treated different people.
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Q45___ are the shoes I bought yesterday.
Answer: C. These
'Shoes' is a plural noun, so we need the plural demonstrative 'these'. 'This' and 'that' are singular.
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