LoginPossessive Pronouns
This comprehensive lesson dives into Possessive Pronouns in English, featuring detailed examples and a quiz to test your knowledge.
What Are Possessive Pronouns?
Like other pronouns, possessive pronouns can replace nouns or noun phrases. These pronouns show a relationship of possession or ownership.
English Possessive Pronouns
Possessives represent belonging, association, or interpersonal relations between nouns. Possessive pronouns are used on their own, without a noun or determiner, to indicate such relationships. The table below presents a list of the English possessive pronouns along with their corresponding subject pronouns:
Pay attention to the examples:
Based on my father's will, the condo is now ours.
Instead of saying 'the condo now belongs to us,' you can use a possessive pronoun which is shorter and more straightforward.
Judith is standing over there; the puppy must be hers.
Instead of saying 'the puppy must belong to her,' you can use 'hers' which is shorter.
Warning
Remember, when a possessive pronouns or possessive determiners is used in a sentence, there is no need for an article (a, an, the).
Possessive Pronouns: Functions
Possessive pronouns are used on their own and can act as subject, subject complement, direct object of a verb, and object of preposition in sentences. Here are some examples:
Yours was the best performance.
possessive pronoun as subject
The choice is yours.
possessive pronoun as subject complement
They took our seats, so we took theirs.
possessive pronoun as direct object
Your house is bigger than ours.
possessive pronoun as object of preposition
Possessive Pronouns vs. Possessive Determiners
Another way of indicating possession and belonging is through the use of possessive determiners. The main difference between these two types of possessives is that possessive determiners cannot be used alone and must always be followed by a noun, whereas possessive pronouns can stand alone without a noun.
Is that your car?
No, the black Impala is mine.
In the first sentence of the conversation, 'your' is followed by a noun, which makes it a possessive determiner. In the second sentence, the possessive pronoun 'mine' is used instead of 'my car' to avoid repetition.
When to Use Possessive Pronouns instead of Determiners
In some contexts, it is better to use a possessive pronoun instead of a determiner + noun:
You can use possessive pronouns instead of noun phrases to emphasize the possession rather than the noun;
Can you tell me which one is your child?
The little girl in the green dress is mine.
'Mine' is used instead of the noun phrase 'my child.'
This handwriting is awful! Is it yours?
No, but it looks like Anna's; I think it's hers.
Instead of using 'Anna's handwriting,' you can use 'Anna's' and 'hers.'
You can use these pronouns to make double genitives; these are structures that consist of a possessive noun (a noun followed by the possessive marker -'s) or possessive pronoun following the preposition 'of.'
Julia is a colleague of mine; I'd like to invite her to the party.
Instead of saying 'Julia is my colleague,' we can also say 'Julia is a colleague of mine.'
I'm a friend of Lucy's; can I come in?
Be careful not to forget the ('s) after Lucy.
Asking Questions about Possession
'Whose' is an interrogative pronoun that is used to ask about ownership and possession. When used in questions, 'whose' is seeking to identify the owner of the item in question. Responses to 'whose' questions often consist of possessive pronouns. Take a look at these examples:
Whose house is that? It's gorgeous!
It's mine.
Instead of repeating the question and answering 'It's my house,' the possessive pronoun 'mine' can be used.
Whose dog is this?
I don't know. Maybe it's his.
Warning
Keep in mind that the possessive determiner and possessive pronoun for 'he' are both 'his.'
Review
We use possessive determiners and possessive pronouns to show belonging. So, let us see what their functions are.
Possessive determiners (adjectives): are used before nouns.
Possessive Pronouns | Possessive Determiners (adjectives) |
|---|---|
mine | my |
yours | your |
his | his |
hers | her |
- | its |
ours | our |
yours | your |
theirs | their |
Quiz:
Match the sentence with a possessive determiner to its rewritten version using a possessive pronoun.
Complete the table by specifying the function of the possessive pronoun in each sentence.
Hers was the first proposal accepted. | |
Her singing is much better than theirs. | |
I gave him my book, but he didn't give me his. | |
The final decision should be theirs. |
Which sentence correctly uses a possessive determiner and a possessive pronoun?
- "Is this yours jacket?" - "No, it's hers."
She borrowed mine book, but I need mine back.
Theirs car is parked outside, and this bike is our.
His phone is broken, so he's using hers.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Which question matches the answer: "It's theirs."
Whose dog is barking?
Who owns this bag?
Where are your keys?
When is the party?
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