His vs Him
The difference between his and him lies in the usage of each pronoun. His and Him are two case forms of the pronoun ‘he.’ So, both of these forms show some sort of difference between them in terms of their usage. The word his is the possessive or the genitive form of the pronoun ‘he.’ On the other hand, the word him is the objective form of the pronoun ‘he.’ This is the main difference between the two words, namely, his and him. As you can see, these two forms, his and him, have different purposes. So, as a result, the difference between each form is marked by this difference of purpose.
What does Him mean?
The form him is used as object in a sentence. In other words, him is an object pronoun. To be more specific, him is the object pronoun of the third person singular subject pronoun ‘he.’ You can identify an object by putting the question ‘ whom’ to the verb in the sentence. Take a look at the following sentences.
Mary asked him to be quiet.
Angela requested him to accompany her.
In the first sentence, the subject is Mary. That is because Mary is the person who did the action of asking. Then, who is the object? Object is the person who comes under the power of the subject. So, whom did Mary ask to be quiet? The answer is him. So, you can see that him is used as the object in this sentence.
If you look at the second sentence, there also him is used as the object. Angela is the subject. Requested is the verb of the sentence. So, whom did Angela request to accompany her? The answer is him. So, here also him is used as the object of the sentence.
‘Mary asked him to be quiet’
What does His mean?
On the other hand, the form his is used as a possessive pronoun or a possessive adjective of the subject pronoun he. It is used in the place of apostrophe as in the expression ‘Francis’ house’ or ‘his house.’ The word his refers to ‘Francis.’ So, the word his shows someone’s possession or ownership of something. Observe the two sentences given below.
Francis looked at his watch and exclaimed.
Lucy asked his friend to listen to him.
This box is his.
In all the sentences, you can see that the word his is used in the possessive case. In the first and second sentences, the word his is used as a possessive adjective. As a result, his comes before a noun. This shows that each object belongs to someone. In the second sentence, you can see that both his and him are used. Lucy is the subject. Him is the object pronoun. His is the possessive adjective. In the last sentence, the word his is used as the possessive pronoun of the subject pronoun he. When a word is used as a pronoun, you no longer have to make sure it comes before a noun. So, accordingly, here, the word his stands alone as it is the possessive pronoun.
It is interesting to note that both his and him are used only in the case of masculine nouns or pronouns.Their feminine counterparts are ‘her’ and ‘her’ respectively. It is important to know that the object and the possessive forms of feminine pronoun are one and the same. On the other hand, the possessive adjective and the possessive pronoun of the feminine pronoun are not one and the same. The possessive pronoun of she is hers.
‘Francis looked at his watch and exclaimed’
What is the difference between His and Him?
• Definition:
• Him is the object pronoun of the subject pronoun he.
• His is the possessive pronoun as well as the possessive adjective of the subject pronoun he.
• Placement:
• Him as an object pronoun comes after the verb.
• His as the possessive adjective comes before a noun.
• His as the possessive pronoun appears in the suitable place in the sentence, alone.
• Feminine Forms:
• Feminine of him is her.
• Feminine of his as a possessive adjective is her.
• Feminine form of his as a possessive pronoun is hers.
These are the differences between the two important pronominal forms in the English language, namely, his and him.
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