Her Vs Hers – Exploring the Difference between These Two Words

Introduction:

English language is quite complex and interesting in many aspects. It is full of words that have similar spellings and pronunciations but different meanings depending on their usage. Two such words in English are ‘her’ and ‘hers.’ Although, these words sound similar, they have slight differences in their usage and meaning that can often confuse a person. In this article, we will explore the differences between these two words in detail.

Her:

The word ‘her’ is a pronoun that is used to signify the female gender. It can be used as an object pronoun or subject pronoun. When used as an object pronoun, ‘her’ is used to indicate the female who is receiving the action of a verb. For instance,

Mark gave her the book.

In this sentence, ‘her’ refers to the female who received the book from Mark. On the other hand, when used as a subject pronoun, ‘her’ is used to refer to the female who performs the action of the verb. For instance,

She saw her brother at the party.

In this sentence, ‘she’ is the subject pronoun, and ‘her’ is the object pronoun. Note that the object pronoun is used to refer to the person who is being seen.

Hers:

The word ‘hers’ is a pronoun that is used to indicate the ownership of something by a female. It is a possessive pronoun that refers to something that belongs to the person in question, which is usually the female. For instance,

The car is hers.

In this sentence, ‘hers’ refers to the person who owns the car, and it is used in place of her name. It is important to note that the word ‘hers’ is always used at the end of the sentence followed by a punctuation mark like a full stop, or an exclamation mark.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the difference between ‘her’ and ‘hers’ lies in their usage and meaning. While ‘her’ refers to the female performing the action or receiving it, ‘hers’ is used to indicate the ownership of something that belongs to the female. Keeping these distinctions in mind can help you to use these words accurately in your writing and conversations.