The word she is a pronoun

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In Modern English, she is a singular, feminine, third-person pronoun.

Morphology[edit]

In Standard Modern English, she has four shapes representing five distinct word forms:^[1]

• she: the nominative (subjective) form
• her: the accusative (objective, also called the ‘oblique’.^[2]: 146) form; the dependent genitive (possessive) form
• hers: the independent genitive form
• herself: the reflexive form

History[edit]

Old English had a single third-person pronoun – from the Proto-Germanic demonstrative base *khi-, from PIE *ko— «this»^[3] – which had a plural and three genders in the singular. In early Middle English, one case was lost, and distinct pronouns started to develop. The modern pronoun it developed out of the neuter, singular in the 12th century. Her developed out of the feminine singular dative and genitive forms. The older pronoun had the following forms:

Old English, third-person pronoun^[4]: 117

	Singular	Plural
	Masculine	Neuter	Feminine
Nominative	hē	hit	hēo	hī(e)
Accusative	hine	hit	hīe	hī(e)
Dative	him	him	hire	him / heom
Genitive	his	his	hire	hira / heora

The evolution of she is disputed.^[4]: 118 Some sources claim it evolved «from Old English seo, sio (accusative sie), fem. of demonstrative pronoun (masc. se) ‘the,’ from PIE root *so— ‘this, that'» (see the).^[5] «In Middle English, the Old English system collapses, due to the gradual loss of þe and the replacement of the paradigm se, seo, þæt by indeclinable that.»^[4]: 296

A more likely account is what is sometimes called the ‘ Shetland Theory’, since it assumes a development parallel to that of Shetland < OScand. Hjaltland, Shapinsay < Hjalpandisey, etc. The starting point is the morphologically and chronologically preferable hēo. Once again we have syllabicity shift and vowel reduction, giving [heo̯] > [he̯o] > [hjoː]. Then [hj-] > [ç-], and [ç-] > [ʃ-], giving final [ʃoː].^[4]: 118

Obviously, this doesn’t lead to the modern form she /ʃiː/. «So any solution that gets [ʃ] from /eo/ also needs to ‘correct’ the resultant /oː/ (outside the north) to /eː/. This means an analogical transfer of (probably) the /eː/ of he.»^[4]: 118 None of this is entirely plausible.

The -self forms developed in early Middle English, with hire self becoming herself.^[6] By the 15th century, the Middle English forms of she had solidified into those we use today.^[4]: 120

Gender[edit]

He had three genders in Old English, but in Middle English, the neuter and feminine genders split off. Today, she is the only feminine pronoun in English. It is occasionally used as a gender neutral, third-person, singular pronoun (see also singular they).^[1]: 492

Syntax[edit]

Functions[edit]

She can appear as a subject, object, determiner or predicative complement.^[1] The reflexive form also appears as an adjunct. She occasionally appears as a modifier in a noun phrase.

• Subject: She‘s there; her being there; she paid for herself to be there.
• Object: I saw her; I introduced him to her; She saw herself.
• Predicative complement: The only person there was her.
• Dependent determiner: This is her book.
• Independent determiner: This is hers.
• Adjunct: She did it herself.
• Modifier: The she goat was missing.

Dependents[edit]

Pronouns rarely take dependents, but it is possible for she to have many of the same kind of dependents as other noun phrases.

• Relative clause modifier: she who arrives late
• Determiner: A: Somebody was here, and she left this. B: I’m that she.
• Adjective phrase modifier: the real her
• Adverb phrase external modifier: Not even her

Semantics[edit]

She‘s referents are generally limited to individual, female persons, excluding the speaker and the addressee. She is always definite and usually specific.

Generic[edit]

The pronoun she can also be used to refer to an unspecified person, as in If you see someone in trouble, help her. (See Gender above). This can seem very unnatural, even ungrammatical, as in examples like this:

• If either your mother or father would like to discuss it, I’ll talk to her.

Non-human she[edit]

She can be used for countries as political entities, but not as geographical entities.^[1]: 487

• Canada really found her place in the world during WWII.
• *Canada’s prairies are grassland, and she has five great lakes in Ontario.^[7]

She can also be used for ships and other inanimate objects of significance to the owner.^[8]

Many English style guides discourage the use of she for countries or inanimate objects,^[8][9] and such usage may be considered dated or sexist.^[10][11]

Deities[edit]

«She» may refer to a particular goddess or to a monotheistic God when regarded as female. In this case it may be written «She» with reverential capitalization.

Pronunciation[edit]

According to the OED, the following pronunciations are used:

Form	Plain	Unstressed	Recording
she	(UK) /ʃiː/ (US) /ʃi/	/ʃᵻ/ /ʃᵻ/	female speaker with US accent
her	(UK) /həː/ (US) /hər/	/(h)ə/ /(h)ər/	female speaker with US accent
hers	(UK) /həːz/ (US) /hərz/		female speaker with US accent
herself	(UK) /həːˈsɛlf/ (US) /hərˈsɛlf/		female speaker with US accent

Other[edit]

In 1999, she was selected as the word of the millennium by the American Dialect Society.^[12]

References[edit]

See also[edit]

• English personal pronouns
• Third-person pronoun

This concise guide gives you a detailed look at differences and examples of she, her and herself. We’ll also see some grammar rules to properly use these words in sentences and avoid further confusion.

Have you ever thought why is grammar so important for us? Why should we spend hours and hours improving our level of English Grammar?

Now, moving ahead with the grammar sessions, the first and foremost thing that needs to be understood is nouns and pronouns and their usage in appropriate places and sentences.

She is a pronoun used for feminine pronouns in a sentence. It is preferably used when a proper noun is the subject of the sentence.

Her: The forms her is used when a feminine pronoun is the object of a sentence.

Now, as we are quite clear with the difference between both the nouns, let’s see how we can implement them in our sentences and learn grammar in a better way.

The pronouns “She” and “her” are both referred to as gender-specific pronouns. As we have known till now that a pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun. This can better be explained with an example. For example:

Laura scored good marks. She is quite intelligent.

In the above example, “Laura” is a proper noun, and “she,” which is used in replacement of the proper noun, is a pronoun that completes the sentences with keeping the meaning of the sentence same, and hence the name “Laura” does not have to be repeated again and again.

Now, let’s see the next example:

This is Joe’s bag. Give her the bag.

Here we can see that “Joe” is a proper noun, and “her” is used in place of the proper noun.

By the English grammar rule, pronouns may be categorized into three types, namely; subjective, objective, and possessive. While in the above sentence “she” and “her” are pronouns, the usage and treatment of both are different.

She a Subjective Pronoun

The word “She” is a subjective pronoun. When the pronoun is used as the subject of a sentence, then it is called a subjective pronoun. The subject pronoun will simply replace the noun in a simple sentence and will take it’s place. For instance, check the sentence below:

• Anne is lovely.
• She is lovely.

Examples of she in sentences:

1. She is a brilliant girl
2. She helps other
3. She is focused and intelligent
4. She cleans her room
5. She gets up early morning to water the plants
6. She looks after her parents
7. She take her pet dog for a morning walk
8. She plays with her friends
9. She goes for cycling everyday
10. She walks down to school

Her a Possessive Pronoun

The word “Her” is a possessive pronoun. Here in the sentence, “Her” is also used as the object of a verb and preposition. For instance:

1. It is Sarah’s book.
2. It is her book. (Possessive pronoun.)
3. Give her the book. (Object of a verb.)
4. Give it to her. (Object of a preposition.)
5. Her parents are very helpful.
6. Her library is huge.
7. He books are neatly covered.
8. Her clothes are neatly ironed.
9. Her bed is properly kept.

There are some situations, in which both “she” and “her” may be used in the same sentence. For instance,

1. Kelly is Joe’s dentist.
2. Kelly is her dentist.
3. She is her dentist.
4. She writes her daily book.
5. She wants her books back.
6. She takes her cycle for repairs.
7. She has her grand mother.
8. She runs to catch her school bus.

In this case, “Kelly” is used as the subject and “Joe” is used as the object. So the words are respectively replaced by the subject and object pronouns, namely, “she” and “her.”

Till now, we saw the difference between the usage of the pronouns “she” and “her”. Next is to observe the difference between “her” and “herself” and their usage in different sentences.

She vs Herself – with Sentence Examples

The word “herself” is a reflexive third person singular which is used as the object of the verb or preposition needs to be referred to a female person (it is also called the subject of the sentence or clause).

Now let’s see the examples given below:

1. “She should have defended herself.”
2. She had to go herself.
3. “Jenny made herself a cup of coffee yesterday.”
4. She stayed at home by herself
5. She has this big room all to herself.
6. She does all by herself.
7. She herself ironed her clothes.
8. She herself goes to market for purchasing.
9. She herself gets up for the school.
10. She herself dress for the school.
11. She goes herself for a walk.
12. She herself finished all her home work.
13. She is so focused that she herself finished all her work.
14. She herself made all home arrangements.
15. She herself made her own breakfast.

As you saw till now that it is important to constantly brush up on your English grammar for quite a few valid reasons. With improvising on your command on the English language it will not only help you land jobs with big MNCs, but it will also increase your chances of potentially finding a great opportunity. Always remember that it’s never too late to learn or work on your English grammar, so hit the books and start today!

Quick Links

1. He, Him and Himself Usage in Sentences

Asked by: Bernice Rice

Score: 4.6/5
(59 votes)

A person who goes by “she” pronouns is generally referred to using “she” and associated pronouns (only in the third person), as in this example: “She is a writer and wrote that book herself.

When did she become a pronoun?

The modern feminine «she» first appears in the mid-12th century, seemingly — at least in part — to fight against ambiguity over gender, Baron said. Baron has collected more than 100 pronouns, invented or repurposed, making the rounds today, and the list is growing.

Where to use she and her?

‘She’ comes in the place of the subject in a sentence. ‘Her’ comes in the place of an object in a sentence. ‘She’ refers to a pronoun alone. ‘Her’ refers to an adjective as well as a pronoun.

Which type of pronoun is she?

She and her are known as personal pronouns. The other personal pronouns are I and me, you, he and him, it, we and us, and they and them.

Can you call a city she?

Cities and countries don’t have gender in English. Sometimes, however, the a city or country is referred to as «she», especially in poetic contexts. Ships also are sometimes referred to as «she», even if they’re named after men, like the ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald in the famous song (1975) by Gordon Lightfoot.

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Kaushik, N. (2016, June 8). Difference Between She and Her. Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects. http://www.differencebetween.net/language/grammar-language/difference-between-she-and-her/.

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Kaushik, Nimisha. «Difference Between She and Her.» Difference Between Similar Terms and Objects, 8 June, 2016, http://www.differencebetween.net/language/grammar-language/difference-between-she-and-her/.

Личные местоимения в английском языке встречаются в двух падежах – именительном (nominative case) и объектном (objective case). В данной статье Вы познакомитесь и с теми, и с другими, посмотрите таблицы и выполните упражнения на личные местоимения. Поговорим вначале о личных местоимениях в nominative case – именительном падеже.

Personal pronouns in nominative case.

Рассмотрим таблицу:

Вроде бы, все просто, но давайте сделаем некоторые уточнения.

• Роль в предложении.

Личные местоимения в nominative case в английском чаще всего выполняют роль подлежащего:

She lives in Bristol. – Она живет в Бристоле

I am not scared. – Я не напугана.

Следует также отметить, что personal pronouns в именительном падеже могут выступать в роли именного сказуемого:

It was she who did it.  – Это была она, кто сделал это.

В подобных случаях в более неформальной речи допустимо использование местоимений в объектном падеже:

It was her, who did it.

• Род личных местоимений.

Некоторые личные местоимения отчетливо указывают на род. Это местоимения he  — мужской род (одушевленное)  и  she  — женский род (неодушевленные). Местоимение it употребляется вместо всех неодушевленных предметов, а также животных и слова baby (младенец).

Molly sees a cat. It is black. – Молли видит кота. Он черный.

Where is the baby. It’s with me.  – Где ребенок? Он со мной.

В некоторых случаях многие предметы могут одушевляться (особенно в художественной литературе) и заменяться на she и he. Подробнее читайте в статье про категорию рода в английском языке.

• Местоимения I и you.

Местоимение I всегда пишется с большой буквы независимо от места в предложении.

Вы, должно быть, заметили, что местоимение you переводится как ты и вы и всегда имеет форму множественного числа.  На самом деле, местоимения ты в современном английском языке нет. Раньше оно было и звучало как thou. Сегодня подобную форму можно встретить разве что в стихах. Запомните: в английском ко всем принять обращаться на вы и использовать при этом местоимение you, имеющее множественное число.

You are a good boy. – Ты хороший мальчик.

Заметьте: после you стоит глагол во множественном числе – you are.

Похоже, про личные местоимения в именительном падеже я сказала все, давайте выполним несколько упражнений на закрепление. Ответы Вы найдете в конце статьи.

Упражнения на личные местоимения he, she, it и пр.

Упражнение 1. Какими личными местоимениями можно заменить следующие существительные? Заполните таблицу.

Kate, my parents, auntie, Jacob, car, sister, cousins, two chairs, chair, the Queen, Ann, brother, uncle, Bill, cat, table, my father, my house, cars, balls.

He	She	It	They
1.      __________ 2.      __________ 3.      __________ 4.      __________ 5.      __________	1.      __________ 2.      __________ 3.      __________ 4.      __________ 5.      __________	1.      __________ 2.      __________ 3.      __________ 4.      __________ 5.      __________	1.      __________ 2.      __________ 3.      __________ 4.      __________ 5.      __________

Упражнение 2. Add he, she, it, we, or they

1. Molly is very nice. _____’s my best friend.
2. Molly and I aren’t English. ______’re from Sydney.
3. Greg is my brother. ______’s 25 years old.
4. Greg and Alison are married. _______’ve got two children.
5. Emily is 22 years old. ______’s a nurse in

Упражнение 3. Write in he, she or they.

1. This is Maria. _____ is having lunch in the canteen.
2. Look at the children! _____ are playing football in the snow!
3. Vanya is my friend. ______ is riding a bike now.
4. Look at Pavel’s parents. _________ are reading a book.
5. Lisa is Pavel’s friend. Listen! ______ is singing!

Упражнение 4. Change the words in the brackets to the appropriate pronoun (she, he, it, the, we)

1. (Kate) is not a typist.
2. (These women) are not doctors.
3. Is (that pear) red?
4. (Those stories) are very interesting.
5. (These pencils) are black.
6. (This table) is brown.
7. (My friends and I) are at school.
8. (Greg) is at home now.
9. (A man and two women) are in the car.
10. (Mr. and Mrs. Baker) are in London.

Личные местоимения в объектном падеже (Objective Case).

Объектный падеж английских местоимений соответствует косвенным падежам русского языка. Рассмотрите таблицу.

Несколько примеров:

Ask him to stay for dinner. – Попроси  его остаться к обеду.

Give him a pen. – Дай ему ручку.

Don’t speak about him like this. – Не говори о нем так!

This was done by him. – Это было сделано им.

Сложностей в использовании объектного падежа местоимений у Вас возникнуть не должно. Единственный момент – использование I и me.

I или me?

Обычно данные местоимения используются в соответствии с правилами: I в именительном падеже, me – во всех остальных.

I give you a present. – Я дарю тебе подарок.

You give me a present. – Ты даришь мне подарок.

• Однако, если I стоит в именительном падеже и играет роль сказуемого – здесь возможны оба варианта.

It’s I / It’s me – Это я!

Первый вариант более книжный, второй – разговорный.

• В структурах сравнения также можно использовать и I, и me:

Molly is as old as I / as old as me.

Molly is older than I /than me.

• В кратких ответах используются оба местоимения.

— Who did it?

— I / me!

• I или me после and?

Оба варианта возможны, хотя выражение you and I уже устарело, Вы будете выглядеть несколько консервативным, употребляя его. Впрочем, сударь (сударыня), eсли Вам угодно … употребляйте.

Упражнения на личные местоимения в объектном падеже.

Упражнение 5. Fill in the gap with the correct object pronoun. Заполните пропуски, используя личные местоимения в объектном падеже.

1. Who is that lady? — Why are you looking at __________?
2. Do you know that young handsome man?-Yes, I study with __________.
3. Please, listen to _______. I want to express my point of view.
4. These puppies are so nice! Do you want to look at ______.
5. We like this house. We’re going to buy _________.
6. He can’t see _______ because we are sitting in the last row.
7. Where are the keys to our flat? I can’t find _______.
8. Where is Ann? I want to talk to _________.
9. This snake is poisonous. I’m very afraid of _______.
10. Don’t wait for _______ for dinner. I’ll return very late at night.
11. He left Polotsk long ago. I haven’t seen _______ since.
12. You can fully rely on _______. We won’t let you down.

Упражнение 6. Fill in the gap with the correct object pronoun.

My husband and I are very lucky. We have many close friends in this city, and they are all interesting people.

Our friend Andrew is a scientist. We see (1) _____ when he isn’t busy in his laboratory. When we get together with (2) _____, he always tells (3) ______ about his new experiments. Andrew is a very close friend. We like (4) _______ very much.

Our friend Maggie is an actress. We see (5) _______, when she isn’t making a movie in Hollywood. When we get together with (6) _______, she always tells (7) ______ about her life in Hollywood. Maggie is a very close friend. We like (8) ______ very much.

Our friends Bobby and Marlin are journalists. We see (9) ______,when they are not traveling around the world. When we get together with (10) ______, they always tell (11) _____ about their meetings with famous people. Bobby and Marlin are very close friends. We like (12) ____ very much.

Упражнение 7. Fill in the suitable pronouns.

1. Jack is hungry. Bring ________ a sandwich.
2. Ann is ill. Take _______ these flowers.
3. Fred and Jane are in the country. Write ________ a letter.
4. I am thirsty. Bring _________ a bottle of Coca-Cola.
5. Jimmy is in class. Give __________this book.
6. The children are hungry. Bring ________ these red apples.
7. Alan is at home. Ask ________ to come to the yard.
8. We are at table. Give _______ tea and cakes.

 Упражнение 8. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate pronouns. (me, us, him, her, it, them)

1. I’m talking to you. Please, listen to________.
2. Who is that man? Why are you looking at________?
3. These bags are nice. Do you want to look at________?
4. «Do you know those men?» — «Yes, I work with________».
5. Where are my books? I can’t find
6. I like that dress. I’m going to buy
7. We are going to the cinema. You can come with
8. Where is your sister? I want to talk to________ .
9. We are listening to music. Tom gave it to________.
10. I want to buy this book. Please, show it to ________

Ответы:

Упражнение 1.

He	She	It	They
1.      Jacob 2.      brother 3.      uncle 4.      Bill 5.      my father	1.      Kate 2.      auntie 3.      sister 4.      the Queen 5.      Ann	1.      car 2.       chair 3.      cat 4.      table 5.      my house	1.      My parents 2.      cousins 3.      two chairs 4.      cars 5.      balls

Упражнение 2.

1 she, 2 we, 3 he, 4 they, 5 she.

Упражнение 3.

1 she, 2 they, 3 he, 4 they, 5 she.

Упражнение 4 

1 – she, 2 – they, 3- it, 4 – they, 5 – they, 6 — it, 7 – we, 8 – he, 9 — they, 10 they

Упражнение 5.

1 her, 2 him, 3 me, 4 them, 5 it, 6 us, 7 them, 8 her, 9 it, 10 me, 11 him, 12 us

Упражнение 6.

1 him, 2 him, 3 us, 4 him, 5 her, 6 her, 7 us, 8 her, 9 them, 10 them, 11 us, 12 them

Упражнение 7.

1 him, 2 her, 3 them, 4 me, 5 him, 6 them, 7 him, 8 us

Упражнение 8.

1 – me, 2 – him, 3 – them, 4 – them, 5 – them, 6 – it, 7 – us, 8 – her, 9 – us, 10 — me

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