Possessive Pronouns

 

Definition

A possessive pronoun is a type of  pronoun that indicates a relationship of possession showing that something belongs to someone. It has a grammatical function of  noun in a sentence.

Example

1. The car is mine.

In this example, the possessive pronoun 'mine' functions as noun which indicates that a person possesses the car. 

Here is a table of possessive pronouns:

	Possessive Pronouns
	Singular	Plural
First person	mine	ours
Second person	yours	yours
Third person	his hers its	theirs

 

Example

1. The book is mine.
2. I have found a key on the table. Is this key hers?
3. Anna and Jack have bought a home. Is that home theirs?
4. I can see my car, but where is yours?
5. yesterday, she got her new job, but they don't get theirs.
6. This cheese is its and that one is his.

Note: There are other pronouns that indicate possession. They are called possessive adjectives and function as adjectives in a sentence; that is, they modify a noun. The following table shows the possessive adjectives:

	Possessive Adjectives
	Singular	Plural
First person	my	our
Second person	your	your
Third person	his her its	their

 

Example

1. I am running my new project.
2. Her phone was ranging.
3. The employees have got their salaries.
4. John thought to bring a gift to his wife.
5. This cat is on our bed.

In the examples above, the possessive adjectives modify the nouns that they precede.

Note: the possessive pronoun is used alone and functions as noun while the possessive adjective is used in front of a noun that it modifies.

Exercises

1) How does a possessive pronoun function grammatically?

1. As a verb
2. As an adjective
3. As an adverb
4. As a noun

2) Which of the following possessive pronoun is the same when it functions as a possessive adjective?

1. Her
2. His
3. Its
4. 1 & 2
5. 2 & 3
6. None of  the above

3) Which of the following sentences has a possessive determiner?

1. “I told you that my recipe was good!”
2. “She still claims that the bag isn’t hers.”
3. “He’s had his since he was a kid.”
4. “Donald said they bought theirs during a sale.”

4) Fill in the blank with the suitable possessive pronouns or possessive adjectives.

1. Is this .............(your/yours)................. pen? 
2. Please give this dictionary to Olga. It's  ............(her/hers).................. . 
3. A: Don't forget  ...........(your/yours)................... hat. Here. B: That is not ...........(my/mine).................. hat.  ............(My/Mine)................ is green. 
4. A: Please take this wood carving a gift from me. Here. Its's ...........(your/yours)................... . B: Thank you . You're very thoughtful. 
5. A: John and I really like ...........(our/ours)................... new apartement. It has lots of space. How do you like ........(your/yours)..................... ? B: .......(our/ours)...................... is small, but its comfortable.
6. A: excuse me. Is this ..........(your/yours).................... umbrella? B: I don't have an umbrella. Ask Ken. Perhaps, it is ........(him/his)...................... .
7. A: When do ........(your/yours)..................... classes begin ? B: September second. How about ..........(your/yours).................... ? When do .....(your/yours)......................... begin ? A: ......(My/Mine)....................... begin August twenty-ninth.
8. A: Maria ....(your/yours).......................... spaghetti sauce is delicious! B: Thank you , but it's not as good as ............(your/yours).................. . A: Oh, .......(your/yours)....................... is much better! It tastes just as good as Anna's. B: Do you like Anna's spaghetti sauce? I think .........(her/hers)..................... is too salty. A: Maybe. ..........(my/mine).................... husband makes good spaghetti  sauce too. .........(His/He)..................... is thick and rich. B:Making spaghetti sauce is easy, but everyone's sauce is just a little different.

Answer key

Exercise (1)

4

Exercise (2)

5

Exercise (3)

1

Exercise (4)

your, hers, your-my-mine, yours, our-yours-ours, your-his, your-yours-yours-mine, your-yours-yours-hers-my-his.