What is a reflexive verb?

A reflexive verb is a verb whose agent performs an action that is directed at itself. It characteristically takes a reflexive pronoun as its object.

• What is a verb? (Linguistics)

Hartmann and Stork 1972 194

Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985 356–358

Mish 1991 990

Context for this page:

• Concept module: reflexive verb
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): R
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

© 2004 SIL International