Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
Note: 'His' is a third person singular possessive determiner. 'His' is also a possessive pronoun.
1.
You use ~ to indicate that something belongs or relates to a man, boy, or male animal.
Brian splashed water on ~ face, then brushed ~ teeth...
He spent a large part of ~ career in Hollywood...
The dog let ~ head thump on the floor again.
DET
•
His is also a possessive pronoun.
Anna reached out her hand to him and clasped ~.
PRON
2.
In written English, ~ is sometimes used to refer to a person without saying whether that person is a man or a woman. Some people dislike t~ use and prefer to use ‘~ or her’ or ‘their’.
Formerly, the relations between a teacher and ~ pupils were dominated by fear on the part of the pupils...
DET
•
His is also a possessive pronoun.
The student going to art or drama school will be very enthusiastic about further education. His is not a narrow mind, but one eager to grasp every facet of anything he studies.
PRON