he
/hi:/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Pronoun:
- A male person or animal previously mentioned or easily identified: Used to refer to a male person or animal that is the subject of a clause or sentence.
- Any person (generic): In some contexts, used to refer to a person whose gender is unspecified or unknown, though this usage is now often considered dated or non-inclusive.
Noun:
- A male person or animal: A man, boy, or male animal.
- (In combination): Used in compounds to denote a male, e.g., he-goat.
Examples of Usage
Pronoun:
- John said he would be late. (Refers back to the male person 'John'.)
- Look at that dog. He is very friendly. (Refers to a male animal.)
- If anyone calls, tell him I'm busy. (Traditional generic use referring to a person of unspecified gender.)
Noun:
- Is the kitten a he or a she? (Asks about the sex of the animal.)
- The story has a hero, and the he of the tale is very brave. (Refers to the male character.)
Advanced Usage
- "He who..." / "He that...": A formal or literary construction meaning 'the person who'.
- He who hesitates is lost. (The person who hesitates will fail.)
- Generic "he": Historically used to mean 'a person' (of any gender). Modern usage often prefers 'they', 'he or she', or restructuring the sentence.
- A doctor should listen to his patients. (Traditional generic. Modern: A doctor should listen to their patients.)
Variants and Related Words
- Him (objective pronoun): The object form of 'he'.
- I gave the book to him.
- His (possessive adjective/pronoun): Shows possession.
- That is his car. (Adjective) / The car is his. (Pronoun)
- Himself (reflexive pronoun): Used when the subject and object are the same male person/animal, or for emphasis.
- He cut himself. (Reflexive) / He himself said it. (Emphatic)
- He- (prefix): Used to form nouns denoting a male animal.
- he-wolf, he-ass
Synonyms
- That man: Used to point out a specific male.
- The male: Used in a biological or general context.
- The gentleman: A more formal term for a man.
Related Phrases
- He-man: (noun, informal) A man who is very strong, muscular, or virile.
- He exercises every day to look like a he-man.
- He said, she said: (idiomatic phrase) A situation involving conflicting reports from a man and a woman, or from two opposing parties.
- The argument devolved into a he said, she said scenario with no resolution.
Related Idioms
- He who laughs last laughs longest: (Proverb) The person who succeeds in the end, after others have doubted or mocked, gains the greatest satisfaction.
- Don't worry about their criticism now. Remember, he who laughs last laughs longest.
- He's all talk (and no action): (Idiom) Said about a man who makes promises or boasts but does not do what he says.
- Don't rely on him to fix it; he's all talk.
Noun
- the 5th letter of the Hebrew alphabet
- a very light colorless element that is one of the six inert gasses; the most difficult gas to liquefy; occurs in economically extractable amounts in certain natural gases (as those found in Texas and Kansas)