Possessive Pronouns: Definition, How to Use, and Examples

Possessive Pronouns are words that show who owns or is connected to something. They help describe people, animals, or things and how they relate to each other. For example, instead of saying, “This is my dog,” you can say, “This dog is mine.”

Demonstrative Pronouns

What Are Possessive Pronouns?

Possessive pronouns are pronouns that indicate ownership or possession. They tell us that something belongs to a particular person or group. They are used to replace nouns in sentences and show that something belongs to someone or something. These pronouns are often used instead of repeating a noun or noun phrase in order to avoid redundancy.

• That book is mine. (Instead of saying "That book is my book.")
• The house next door is ours. (Instead of saying "The house next door is our house.")

English Grammar

How to Use Possessive Pronouns in Sentences

• I → Mine
  • Example : This book is mine. (Instead of "This book is my book.")
• You → Yours
  • Example : Is this pen yours? (Instead of "Is this your pen?")
• He → His
  • Example : That jacket is his. (Instead of "That jacket is his jacket.")
• She → Hers
  • Example : The flowers were hers. (Instead of "The flowers were her flowers.")
• It → Its (Note: This is rare as it’s usually an adjective rather than a pronoun)
  • Example : The cat chased its tail. (Instead of "The cat chased the cat’s tail.")
• We → Ours
  • Example : The victory was ours. (Instead of "The victory was our victory.")
• They → Theirs
  • Example : The house is theirs. (Instead of "The house is their house.")

Abstract Nouns

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them?

1. Using Apostrophes Incorrectly : One common mistake is putting an apostrophe in possessive pronouns, which is never correct.

2. Mixing Up “Its” and “It’s” : Many people confuse “its” (showing ownership) and “it’s” (meaning “it is”).

• Correct: “ The cat lost its toy.” (“Its” shows the toy belongs to the cat.)
• Correct: “It’s a sunny day.” (“It’s” means “it is.”)

3. Using the Wrong Pronoun : Make sure the possessive pronoun matches the noun it replaces. Don’t use a plural pronoun for a singular noun.

• Correct: “The project is mine.”
• Incorrect: “The project is ours” (unless it’s shared by more than one person

How to Use Possessive Pronouns Effectively?

Clarify Ownership

Avoid Repetition

Make Sure Context Is Clear

Unique Uses of Possessive Pronouns

1. Possessive pronouns can be used in special ways to show relationships or where someone comes from.

• “The cat is mine” means that the cat belongs to the speaker.
• “The hometown of my family is Chicago, and Atlanta is ours.” Here, “ours” means “our home city,” showing where the speaker’s family comes from.

Possessive Pronouns vs. Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Pronouns

• Take the place of a noun and can stand alone.
• Example: “This hat is mine.” (Here, “mine” replaces “my hat.”)

Possessive Adjectives

• Go before a noun to show who owns it and cannot stand alone.
• Example: “This is my hat.” (Here, “my” comes before “hat” to show ownership.)

Comparison

• “Your bike is new.” ( “Your” is a possessive adjective showing ownership of the bike.)
• “The new bike is yours.” ( “Yours” is a possessive pronoun replacing “your bike.”)

Possessive Pronouns Practice Questions

1. Replace the repeated word with a possessive pronoun: “This is Sarah’s pencil, and that is also Sarah’s pencil.”

3. Fill in the blank with a possessive pronoun:

5. Replace the noun phrase with a possessive pronoun:

6. Choose the correct possessive pronoun:

7. Complete the sentence with the correct possessive pronoun:

1. “This is Sarah’s pencil, and that is also hers.”
2. (A) mine
3. ours
4. (B) “That book is mine.”
5. “This is his.”
6. (A) yours
7. ours