Question

The professor herself wanted to attend the conference, but it was cancelled when she and several other presenters had to excuse themselves.

Which underlined word functions as a reflexive pronoun in the sentence?

Answer 1

In the sentence, “The professor herself wanted to attend the conference, but it was cancelled when she and several other presenters had to excuse themselves,” the underlined words that function as reflexive pronouns are herself and themselves.

Step-by-step explanation:

Words that end with -self or -selves fall under the category of reflexive pronouns. These words are used in sentences where the subject and object are the same. Here, “herself” refers to the professor who wanted to attend a particular conference.

When the conference got cancelled they excused one another, in other words, the pronoun “themselves” is being used. Some other examples of reflexive or anaphoric pronouns include myself, oneself, yourself, itself, ourselves etc.

Answer 2

herself and themselves are reflexive pronouns

Step-by-step explanation:

The professor herself (just she and none more)

Presenters had to excuse themselves (they had to excuse to one another)