Possesive Pronoun

What are Possessive Pronouns?

Pronouns that indicate ownership or possession of something are called possessive pronouns. They are used to show that a particular thing or concept belongs to a particular person, group, animal or thing.

Examples of Possessive Pronouns

Here are some common possessive pronouns example:

Types of Possessive Pronouns

1. Singular Possessive Pronouns

1. This type of pronoun indicate a single person, animal or a thing that has ownership or a link to another element in a sentence.
2. These are used to replace a singular noun to show who or what owns it.
   For example, my, yours, his, hers.

2. Plural Possessive Pronouns

1. This type of pronoun indicate multiple persons, animals or things that have ownership or a link to other elements in a sentence.
2. These are used to replace plural nouns.
   For example, ours and theirs.

Difference Between Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Adjectives

Despite having a close relationship and occasionally having the same spelling, possessive pronouns and possessive determiners serve separate grammatical purposes.

How are Possessive Nouns Used in a Sentence?

1. Plural possessive pronouns are used to replace plural nouns in a sentence and singular possessive nouns are used to replace singular nouns in a sentence.
2. Possessive nouns are used as subjects and objects in a sentence.
   For example:
   Object: Lisa found my book, but we didn’t find hers.
   Subject: Mike already got his marksheet, mine isn't here yet.
3. When possessive pronouns are used in a sentence, it matches the number of the owners not the number of the owned objects. For example, ‘Stella was wearing rings. Maybe these rings are theirs.’ is an incorrect sentence whereas, ‘‘Stella was wearing rings. Maybe these rings are hers’ is the correct sentence.

Common Mistakes with Possessive Pronouns

1. Students sometimes use incorrect possessive pronouns in a sentence. For example, ‘I saw Mandy playing cricket, maybe this bat is its.’ is an incorrect sentence because ‘Mandy’ is a person and ‘it’ is used for objects. Therefore, the correct sentence will be ‘I saw Mandy playing cricket, maybe this bat is his.’
2. Students often add apostrophe (‘s) at the end of some possessive pronouns which make the sentence incorrect. For example, ‘This is her’s’ is an incorrect sentence because of ‘her’s’. The correct way to write this sentence is ‘This is hers.’

To Read About Reflexive Pronoun: Click here

List of Possessive Pronouns in a Sentence

→ Is this card yours?
→ The keys on the table are mine.
→ Is this jacket yours?
→ These documents are mine.
→ Which tables are ours?
→ The problem is his to deal with.
→ The car parked in the driveway is mine.
→ The beautiful house is ours.
→ The decision is ultimately theirs.
→ That delicious pizza is all yours.

FAQ's

1. What are the possessive pronouns?

Answer: Possessive pronouns are used to indicate ownership of something or someone. For example, The huge house across the corner is theirs.

2. Are possessive pronouns the same as personal pronouns?

Answer: No, possessive pronouns are different from personal pronouns as possessive pronouns are used to indicate the ownership of something. Personal pronouns on the other hand replace proper nouns like the name of a person.

3. What are the types of possessive pronouns?

Answer: There are two types of possessive pronouns. These are: Singular possessive pronouns and Plural possessive pronouns.