The grammar of her and hers, his and him

Readers responding to yesterdays post questioned the grammar of her and hers. I wrote ‘Hers was an improvised bamboo stick. Hers was light, hollow, with a comfortable diameter that was easy to hold.’ Below is the grammar and how to use her and hers, his and him.

Possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives show ownership, possession, and belonging.

Examples:

Her cup is white.

[her is a possessive adjective because it describes the noun, cup]

The white cup belongs to her.

[her is a possessive pronoun because there is no noun]

The white cup is hers.

[hers is a possessive pronoun]

Hers is white.

[hers is a possessive pronoun]

His cup is red.

[his is a possessive adjective because it describes the noun, cup]

The red cup belongs to him.

[him is a possessive pronoun because there is no noun]

The red cup is his.

[his is a possessive pronoun]

His is white.

[his is a possessive pronoun]

Lessons:

1. Possessive pronouns are used to replace a noun phrase (a possessive adjective and a noun.

This is her cup. [her cup = possessive adjective + noun]

This is hers. [hers = possessive pronoun]

2. The noun must be next to the possessive adjective, otherwise it is a possessive pronoun

His cup is dirty. [his (possessive adjective) is next to cup (noun)]

His is a dirty cup. [his = possessive pronoun]

3. With prepositions (to, for, with, etc.) use her.

This cup belongs to her.

I am with her.

He is working for her.

He will be by her side.

For her, I would do anything.

4. If there is no preposition, use hers.

It is hers.

Hers is the yellow cup over there.

5. With prepositions (to, for, with, etc.) use him.

This cup belongs to him.

I am with him.

She is working for him.

The dog will be by his side.

For him, I would do anything.

6. If there is no prepostion, use his.

It is his.

His is the orange cup on the table.

MASCULINE	FEMININE	NEUTER
His cup	Her cup	Its cup	With a noun
His	Hers	Its	Without a noun
For him	For her	For it	With a preposition
His	Hers	Its	Without a preposition

NOTE:

He’s = he is

She’s = she is

It’s = It is

Never write her’s. This is incorrect.

Here are other possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns:

Me, my, mine

My cup is black. The black cup belongs to me. It is mine.

Us, our, ours

Our cups are large. The large cups belong to us. They are ours.

You, your, yours (singular)

Your cup is broken. The broken cup belongs to you. It is yours.

You, your, yours (plural)

Your cups are broken. The broken cups belong to you. The broken cups belong to all of you. They are yours.

Them, their, theirs (plural)

Their cups are clean. The clean cups belong to them. The cups are theirs. They are theirs.

So that’s the grammar and how to use her and hers, his and him.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

Hop on hop off bus tourism comes to Tbilisi, Georgia

City Sightseeing buses have arrived in Tbilisi. The iconic red double-decker buses, a feature of many cities around the world since the company was established in Seville, Spain in 1999, is now in six continents and almost 100 cities. The company established its Tbilisi business in November 2013, with its operations commencing in February 2014. The 90-minute tour stops at 11 major locations in Tbilisi (with 2 to 5 minute waiting times at each location): the Old City (where it commences), Freedom Square, Rose Revolution Square, Marjanishvili Square, the Dry Bridge, Konka, Avlabari, Metekhi, Akhundov Museum, the Sulfur Baths, and European Square. Passengers can hop off at any stop and see the sights, hopping back onto the next bus at any time. Alternatively, passengers can remain on the bus for the whole tour and take photographs when the bus stops at each location. There are one day (24-hour) passes (for 35 lari – about $20) and 48-hour passes for 55 lari, with family d...

The Knight in the Panther Skin by Shota Rustaveli (2015 translation): book review

The Knight in the Panther Skin (12th century, this edition 2015) is a recent translation by American poet and author, Lyn Coffin. The author, Shota Rustaveli, is Georgia’s most loved poet. This poem is mammoth, a magnum opus – it is 1,656 verses long, separated by chapters. But readers, don’t give up, because every verse is worth reading. It is akin to 1001 Arabian Knights, Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, or Shakespearean poetry. King Rostevan of Arabia has a daughter, Tinatin. She loves the knight Avtandil and he loves her. Verse 368 from Avtandil: ‘The doctor’s could do nothing. A dark twilight on my heart now pressed, I was on fire because of love, but nobody knew or guessed. They blamed my blood. The king decided bleeding my arm would be best; I let it be done to hide the suffering I had not confessed.’ But a knight in panther skin is seen weeping, and subsequently kills the king’s soldiers, sparing the king. Before Tinatin weds Avtandil she r...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog