Difficulty Level : Intermediate / Proficient / Advanced / Skilled
‘Her’ vs ‘Hers’: What’s the Difference?
“Hers” and “her” both indicate possession or ownership, but they are used in slightly different ways.
– “Her” indicates possession or ownership and is used before a noun to indicate that something belongs to a female person or is associated with a female person.
Example:
– This is her book. (The book belongs to the female person mentioned)
– “Hers” is also a possessive, but it is used without a noun. It stands alone to show possession and refers to something that belongs to the same female person, avoiding the repetition of the noun.
Example:
– The book is hers. (In this case, “hers” replaces the need to say “her book” again, making the sentence more concise and less repetitive).
In summary, “her” is used before a noun to indicate possession by a female person, while “hers” is used without a noun to indicate ownership by the same female person. Both pronouns serve the same purpose but are used in slightly different sentence structures.
Instructions : In this exercise, choose between the words “her” and “hers” to fill in the blank in each sentence.
Exercises: ‘Hers’ vs ‘Her’
- Is this book ____________ ?
- The cat with the fluffy tail is ____________.
- I borrowed ____________ umbrella for the rain.
- The red bicycle is not ____________; it’s Sarah’s.
- She said the decision was ____________ to make.
- The backpack on the chair is ____________.
- Is this jacket ____________ or mine ?
- The dog’s leash is ____________.
- The idea was entirely ____________.
Answers to ‘her’ vs ‘hers’ exercises
- Is this book hers?
- The cat with the fluffy tail is hers.
- I borrowed her umbrella for the rain.
- The red bicycle is not hers; it’s Sarah’s.
- She said the decision was hers to make.
- The backpack on the chair is hers.
- Is this jacket hers or mine?
- The dog’s leash is hers.
- The idea was entirely hers.
