What is a synonym for her?
We don’t traditionally think of the word
her as having synonyms, but there are several situations in which it can replace—or be replaced with—another word, phrase, or series of words.
hers Many sentences that use the word
hers can be reworded to mean the same (or just about the same) thing using the possessive sense of the word
her, and vice versa. Instead of saying, “Is this
her book?” you could say, “Is this book
hers?” Instead of saying, “
Her house is on the left,” you could say, “
Hers is the house on the left.”
she Sometimes a sentence can be reworded to replace the object
her with the equivalent subject
she. For example, the question, “When do you expect
her to arrive?” could be reworded as “When do you expect
she will arrive?”
Her is commonly used after
linking verbs (like
is and
was) in sentences like
It was her that I saw on the train or
It is her in that picture, but sometimes the word
she is used in such constructions, such as when saying, “This is
she” when answering the phone.
herself In some cases, the word
herself is used as another way of saying
her. For example, it’s common to say things like
She should think for herself. Herself is also sometimes used in place of
her after the words
as,
than, and
but, as in
She saw at the door a girl no older than herself and
She has no one to blame but herself. them Like
they,
them has a long history of being used to refer to an unspecified individual or to a person whose gender and other personal details are unknown or irrelevant, as in
If a student is absent, they must bring in a note with them when they return to school. Sentences like this sometimes use constructions like
he or she and
him or her, but the use of
they and
them has become very common in such instances, with many people preferring them as less awkward and more inclusive.
What can you use instead of the word her?
Her is used to stand in for more specific words, like Dr. Harris, Jennifer, or the pilot. So, if there’s a chance that using her might be confusing (such as when more than one woman is mentioned in the sentence), you can always use the name or title of the person instead of using her. In some situations, it can be considered impolite to refer to someone as she or her when that person is in your presence—especially when you haven’t already acknowledged them or addressed them by name. To avoid this, it’s always best to refer to a person by name, especially when it’s the first time you’re referring to them.
What kind of pronoun is her?
The word
her is used in two ways. The sense of
her that’s used to show possession is a
possessive adjective. (
Hers, which functions as a noun, is a
possessive pronoun.) The sense of
her that’s the objective form of
she is a
personal pronoun.
Pronouns are used as substitutes for nouns—they’re another way of referring to a noun without using a specific name. Personal pronouns are used to refer to the speaker (
first person), to the person being addressed (
second person), or the person being talked about (
third person).
Her is categorized as a third person pronoun (like
he,
she,
they,
him, and
them), meaning that it’s used to refer to anyone other than the person doing the communicating or the people being addressed.
