Reflexive pronouns are a specific type of pronoun used when the subject and the object of a sentence refer to the same person or thing. They are essential for indicating that an action is performed by the subject onto itself. In English, reflexive pronouns always end with "-self" in singular form and "-selves" in plural form. Here are the reflexive pronouns in English:

Singular:

1. Myself

2. Yourself

3. Himself

4. Herself

5. Itself

Plural:

1. Ourselves

2. Yourselves

3. Themselves

Usage:

1. **Reflexive Actions**: Reflexive pronouns are used when the subject of the sentence is performing an action on itself. For example:

   - She cut herself while chopping vegetables.

   - He blamed himself for the mistake.

2. **Emphasizing the Subject**: Reflexive pronouns are also used to emphasize the subject or to intensify the action. In such cases, the sentence can still make sense if the reflexive pronoun is removed, but it loses the emphasis. For example:

   - I myself will take care of the situation.

   - The president himself addressed the nation.

3. **Reciprocal Actions**: When two or more subjects in a sentence are performing the same action on each other, you can use reflexive pronouns. In this case, the reflexive pronoun will match the subject in the sentence. For example:

   - They hugged each other. (Instead of "They hugged themselves.")

4. **Prepositions**: Reflexive pronouns are also used after certain prepositions such as "by," "with," "for," "at," etc., to indicate that the action is directed back to the subject. For example:

   - The cat groomed itself by licking its fur.

   - She bought a present for herself.

5. **Idiomatic Expressions**: Reflexive pronouns are used in some idiomatic expressions and certain fixed phrases. For example:

   - The kids enjoyed themselves at the party.

   - He pulled himself together after the failure.

It's important to note that reflexive pronouns differ from intensive pronouns. While both types end in "-self" or "-selves," intensive pronouns are used to add emphasis to a preceding noun or pronoun in the sentence but do not serve a reflexive function. For example:

- John himself fixed the car. (Intensive pronoun - emphasizes "John.")

- John fixed the car himself. (Reflexive pronoun - John is performing the action on himself.)