1. Introduction to Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns replace a noun and its possessor to show ownership. They tell you who something belongs to without repeating the noun. This makes your sentences clearer and more concise.
For example, instead of saying “This phone belongs to me,” you say “This phone is mine.”
- 1. I lost my pen. Now, that pen is mine.
- 2. This book belongs to you. It is yours.
- 3. His jacket is really warm. The jacket is his.
- 4. That bag belongs to her. The bag is hers.
- 5. Our car is in the garage. It is ours.
- 6. Their house is big. That house is theirs.
- 7. My keys are here. They are mine.
- 8. Your phone is on the table. It is yours.
- 9. His idea was good. The idea is his.
- 10. Her dress is beautiful. The dress is hers.
2. The List of Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns are divided into singular and plural forms.
Singular Possessive Pronouns
- Mine: “This is mine.”
- Yours: “That book is yours.”
- His: “The jacket is his.”
- Hers: “The bag is hers.”
Plural Possessive Pronouns
- Ours: “The car is ours.”
- Theirs: “The house is theirs.”
These words replace phrases like “my phone,” “your pen,” etc.
3. How Possessive Pronouns Work in Sentences
A. Basic Structure
A possessive pronoun replaces the full noun phrase that indicates ownership.
For example:
- 1. Full phrase: “This is my phone.” → With pronoun: “This phone is mine.”
- 2. “That bike belongs to you.” → “That bike is yours.”
- 3. “The jacket belongs to him.” → “The jacket is his.”
- 4. “The bag belongs to her.” → “The bag is hers.”
- 5. “The car belongs to us.” → “The car is ours.”
- 6. “The house belongs to them.” → “The house is theirs.”
- 7. “This pen belongs to me.” → “This pen is mine.”
- 8. “That toy belongs to you.” → “That toy is yours.”
- 9. “These shoes belong to him.” → “These shoes are his.”
- 10. “Those ideas belong to them.” → “Those ideas are theirs.”
B. Sentence Position
Possessive pronouns can come at the end of a sentence or immediately after the subject.
- 1. “The seats are ours.”
- 2. “The decision was theirs.”
- 3. “The fault is mine.”
- 4. “The victory is hers.”
- 5. “The plan is yours.”
- 6. “The choice is his.”
- 7. “The mistake was mine.”
- 8. “The prize is theirs.”
- 9. “The car is ours.”
- 10. “The opportunity is yours.”
4. Comparison with Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their) come before a noun. Possessive pronouns replace the noun phrase entirely.
- 1. Adjective: “That is my phone.” → Pronoun: “That phone is mine.”
- 2. Adjective: “This is your book.” → Pronoun: “This book is yours.”
- 3. Adjective: “This is his jacket.” → Pronoun: “This jacket is his.”
- 4. Adjective: “That is her bag.” → Pronoun: “That bag is hers.”
- 5. Adjective: “These are our seats.” → Pronoun: “These seats are ours.”
- 6. Adjective: “Those are their houses.” → Pronoun: “Those houses are theirs.”
- 7. Adjective: “That is my car.” → Pronoun: “That car is mine.”
- 8. Adjective: “This is your idea.” → Pronoun: “This idea is yours.”
- 9. Adjective: “His opinion matters.” → Pronoun: “That opinion is his.”
- 10. Adjective: “Her success is clear.” → Pronoun: “That success is hers.”
The key difference is that adjectives directly modify a noun, while pronouns stand alone.
5. Grammar Rules and Common Errors
Follow these rules when using possessive pronouns:
- 1. Do not add an extra noun. Incorrect: “This is mine phone.” Correct: “This phone is mine.”
- 2. The noun being replaced must be clear from context.
- 3. Possessive pronouns must agree in number with what they replace.
- 4. Do not mix possessive adjectives with possessive pronouns for the same object.
- 5. Avoid redundancy by not repeating the noun.
- 6. Always choose the correct form: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
- 7. Use clear antecedents so the reader knows what is owned.
- 8. Check that the pronoun matches the original noun in number (singular/plural).
- 9. Use proper punctuation as needed.
- 10. Reread your sentence to confirm that the meaning is clear.
6. Examples in Context
Here are some everyday examples and short dialogues.
A. Everyday Situations
- 1. Your keys are on the table. Are these yours?
- 2. John forgot his bag. That bag is not his—it’s hers.
- 3. These books are on the shelf. They are ours.
- 4. My phone is here; that phone is mine.
- 5. Their car is parked outside. The car is theirs.
- 6. Our project succeeded. The success is ours.
- 7. Her idea was brilliant. The idea is hers.
- 8. The decision is clear. The choice is yours.
- 9. The tickets belong to him. They are his.
- 10. The invitation is for them. It is theirs.
B. Dialogues
- Dialogue 1:
A: “Is this pen mine?”
B: “Yes, it’s yours.” - Dialogue 2:
A: “I noticed these books on the shelf. Whose are they?”
B: “They’re ours.”
Possessive Pronouns Exercises:
Exercise 1 – Choose the correct possessive pronoun
1. This pen belongs to me. It is _____.
2. That bike belongs to you. It is _____.
3. The red jacket belongs to Tom. It is _____.
4. The bag belongs to Anna. It is _____.
5. The blue house belongs to my neighbours. It is _____.
Exercise 2 – Singular or plural?
1. This garden belongs to us. The garden is ____.
2. These toys belong to the children. They are ____.
3. That seat belongs to me. The seat is ____.
4. The idea belongs to Sarah. The idea is ____.
5. This coffee cup is for you. The cup is ____.
Exercise 3 – Replace the phrase
1. That is my phone. That phone is ____.
2. This is your book. This book is ____.
3. These are his shoes. These shoes are ____.
4. Those are our seats. The seats are ____.
5. That is their car. The car is ____.
Exercise 4 – Which pronoun fits?
1. A: “Is this laptop ____?” B: “Yes, it is.”
2. That cap isn’t John’s. The red one is ____.
3. The purple scarf isn’t mine; it’s ____.
4. The victory belongs to our team. The victory is ____.
5. Those seats belong to the visitors. The seats are ____.
Exercise 5 – Review (mix)
1. A: “Whose notebook is this?” B: “It’s ____.”
2. This glass is for you. It’s ____.
3. The choice was Ben’s. The decision is ____.
4. The idea was Lisa’s. The idea is ____.
5. Those plans belong to the managers. The plans are ____.
