his

IPA/hɪz/
KK[hˈɪz]IPA/hɪz/

his — adjective

  • hispositive
  • hissercomparative
  • hissestsuperlative

1. used before a noun to show that a man, boy, or male animal that was already ment

1.adjectiveA1
Definition

used before a noun to show that a man, boy, or male animal that was already mentioned owns or is connected with that thing

Example

João left his jacket on the back of the chair before he sat down.

his + concrete noun showing ownership

The old ginger cat spends most of his day sleeping by the fireplace.

his + time noun for a male animal

Common collocations
  • his own
  • his very
  • his first
  • his favourite
Antonyms
  • her

    used for a female instead of a male possessor

Grammar Patterns

his + noun

Common Mistakes

He's jacket is blue.
His jacket is blue.
'he's' is a contraction of 'he is' or 'he has', not the possessive form.
I gave the book to his.
I gave the book to him.
'his' shows possession; 'him' is the object form of 'he'.

2. used before a noun to show that something belongs to or is connected with a pers

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

used before a noun to show that something belongs to or is connected with a person whose gender is not known or not important

Example

Every student must bring his own laptop to the examination room.

gender-neutral formal possessive in a rule

When Walid applied for the teaching post, the application form asked each candidate to list his qualifications.

concrete job-application scenario with gender-neutral his

Common collocations
  • his or her
  • his own
  • each ... his
Synonyms
  • their

    modern gender-neutral possessive; much more common than 'his' in contemporary English

  • his or her

    explicitly includes both genders; used in formal writing but considered wordy

Grammar Patterns

his + noun (gender unknown)

Usage Note

This use of 'his' as a gender-neutral possessive has become less common. In modern English, 'their' is now preferred in most situations. This form still appears in older texts, formal documents, and legal writing.

Common Mistakes

Each applicant should bring his or her ID.' (grammatical but old-fashioned in speech)
Each applicant should bring their ID.
'their' is now the standard gender-neutral possessive in modern English.

3. used before a noun that names an action to show who performs that action or who

3.adjectiveB1
Definition

used before a noun that names an action to show who performs that action or who receives it

Example

His arrival at his cousin's wedding reception made several guests turn and stare.

his + action noun (agent — he arrived)

The local newspaper reported his release from the hospital this morning.

his + action noun (object — he was released)

Common collocations
  • his arrival
  • his decision
  • his help
  • his nomination
  • his treatment

Grammar Patterns

his + action noun

Usage Note

The same pattern can mean two different things. 'His help' can mean help that he gives (he is the agent) or help that he receives (he is the object). The exact meaning depends on the context and the specific noun.

Common Mistakes

His nomination surprised us' — unclear whether he nominated someone or was nominated.
Add context to clarify: 'His nomination of Yara surprised us' (agent) or 'His nomination by the committee surprised us' (object).

his — pronoun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These four words are possessive determiners that tell us who owns or is connected with something. 'His' is used for a male person or animal already mentioned: 'Michael washed his car.' 'Her' is used for a female: 'Salma closed her laptop.' 'Its' is for a thing or animal whose gender is not specified: 'The cat licked its paw.' 'Their' is for plural owners or as a gender-neutral singular: 'The students took their seats' or 'Each person brought their lunch.' The main difficulty for learners is choosing the right one for the owner, not the object. Notice that 'its' has no apostrophe — 'it's' always means 'it is'.

his ↗her ↗its ↗their ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • his own
  • his very
  • his or her
  • in his own words
  • on his own
  • of his own
  • all his own

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

The word 'his' comes from Old English, where it was the genitive (possessive) form of the pronoun 'he'. It is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as German 'sein' and Dutch 'zijn'. Unlike many English words that changed dramatically after the Norman Conquest, 'his' has stayed almost the same in both form and meaning for over a thousand years.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined above Pronoun