Her
In this lesson, we will learn more about 'her' which is the third-person singular pronoun, and the object pronoun of 'she.'
Her generally refers to female people or animals. In this lesson, we will cover its grammatical functions.
Functions of 'Her'
1. 'Her' as a Possessive Determiner
Use
Her as a possessive determiner is used to show the belongings or associations of a female person or animal. For example:
It was
I have a cat.
Position in a Sentence
Her as a possessive determiner is used before nouns or noun phrases. For example:
It was
'Confidence' is a noun.
2. 'Her' as an Object Pronoun
Her as an object pronoun can be the direct object, the indirect object, the object of prepositions.
2.1 'Her' as a Direct Object
Use
Her as a direct object receives the action of the verb. For example:
I couldn't help
'Her' is the recipient of 'to help.'
That will be
'Her' is the direct object.
Position in a Sentence
Her as a direct object comes after the verb. For example:
I love
'Her' is a direct object used after the verb.
2.2 'Her' as an Indirect Object
Use
Her as an indirect object receives the action of the direct object. For example:
I gave
'The permission to...' is a direct object and 'her' is an indirect object.
He cooked
'Her' is an indirect object.
Position in a Sentence
Her as an indirect object comes before the direct object. For example:
He cooked
'Her' as an indirect object comes before the direct object 'some porridge.'
2.3 'Her' as an Object of Prepositions
Use
Her can be the object of prepositions introduced by a preposition. For example:
I'm waiting for
She is taller than
'Than' is a preposition.
I am as beautiful as
Position in a Sentence
Her as an object of preposition comes after the preposition. For example:
I am as beautiful as
'Her' comes after 'as.'
Tip
Any articles like 'a', 'an' and, 'the' or other determiners cannot be used before her. For example:
She is taller than She is taller than the her.
Other Uses of 'Her'
Her as both the possessive determiner or the object pronoun has some other uses that are not commonly used these days.
1. 'Her' in Dialects
In North American language, people use her instead of 'herself.' For example:
This sentence could be 'she cooked herself some porridge.'
2. 'Her' in Mythical Texts
Her is used to refer to a deity or a goddess. For example:
Athena is known as the goddess of wisdom.
Gaia is a Greek personification of the Earth;
3. 'Her' as a Generic Pronoun
Sometimes her is used to refer to people without saying their gender. For example:
A good teacher does
A nurse's most important duty is to take care of
4. 'Her' as the Antecedent of Indefinite Pronouns
Her can be the object of some indefinite pronouns like 'whoever, anybody, etc.' For example:
Whoever wants to be successful, must give
Anyone who is interested can take
5. 'Her' in Personified Things
Her used to refer to a country, a nation, a car, a machine, a ship, or a boat. For example:
My country is my pride and I love
This is my ship; I won't let them take
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