She facts for kids
The word she is a special kind of word called a pronoun. We use "she" to talk about one female person or animal. It's like a shortcut so we don't have to keep repeating someone's name. For example, instead of saying "Sarah went to the park. Sarah saw a bird," we can say "Sarah went to the park. She saw a bird."
When we use "she," it means the person is doing the action in the sentence. For example, "She is running." But sometimes, the person is the one receiving the action, or something belongs to them. In those cases, we use "her." For example, "The ball hit her" or "That is her book."
We use "she" for girls and women, just like we use "he" for boys and men, and "it" for things or animals when we don't know their gender.
In 1999, a group called the American Dialect Society picked "she" as the most important word of the last 1,000 years. This is because the word "she" didn't exist in English before the year 1000. It first started appearing in writings around the 1100s. Before "she" came along, the word "heo" was used, and it could mean either a female person or even a group of people, similar to how we use "they" today.
| Singular | Plural | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Object | Reflexive | Possessive *Adj./Object |
Subject | Object | Reflexive | Possessive Adj./ Object |
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| First | I | me | myself | my / mine | we | us | ourselves | our / ours | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second | you | you | yourself | your / yours | you | you | yourselves | your / yours | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Third | Masculine | he | him | himself | his / his | they | them | themselves | their / theirs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Feminine | she | her | herself | her / hers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neuter | it | it | itself | its / its | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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* - Possessive forms are also known as "possessive adjectives" rather than pronouns. |
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Contents
Understanding Pronouns
What is a Pronoun?
A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a noun (a person, place, thing, or idea). Using pronouns helps our sentences flow better and makes writing less repetitive. Instead of saying "John went to the store, and John bought apples," we can say "John went to the store, and he bought apples."
Different Kinds of Pronouns
There are many types of pronouns. "She," "he," "it," "we," and "they" are called personal pronouns. They refer to specific people or things. Personal pronouns change their form depending on how they are used in a sentence.
- Subject pronouns: These are used when the pronoun is doing the action. Examples: I, you, he, she, it, we, they.
- Object pronouns: These are used when the pronoun is receiving the action. Examples: me, you, him, her, it, us, them.
- Possessive pronouns: These show ownership. Examples: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs.
How "She" is Used
"She" as a Subject
When "she" is the subject of a sentence, it means the female person is performing the action.
- She sings beautifully. (She is doing the singing.)
- She ran quickly. (She is doing the running.)
- She is my friend. (She is the subject of the sentence.)
"Her" as an Object or Possessive
The word "her" is used in different ways than "she."
- As an object: When "her" is the object, it means the female person is receiving the action.
- The dog followed her. (Her is receiving the action of being followed.)
- I gave the book to her. (Her is receiving the book.)
- As a possessive: "Her" can also show that something belongs to a female person.
- That is her bicycle. (The bicycle belongs to her.)
- Her ideas are very creative. (The ideas belong to her.)
The History of "She"
When "She" Appeared
The word "she" is quite new compared to many other words in the English language. Before the 12th century (the 1100s), English speakers used different words. The word "heo" was common, but it could be confusing because it was used for both female and male people, and sometimes even for groups of people.
Why "She" Became Popular
As the English language changed over hundreds of years, new words were created or borrowed. "She" helped make it clearer when someone was talking about a female person. This made sentences easier to understand and less confusing. The American Dialect Society recognized this important change when they named "she" the word of the past millennium, highlighting its role in shaping modern English.
See also
In Spanish: She (desambiguación) para niños
