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Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership or relationship between people or things. They appear before nouns and tell us who something belongs to.

The Seven Possessive Adjectives in English

English has seven possessive adjectives, each corresponding to a subject pronoun:

Subject Pronoun Possessive Adjective
I my
you your
he his
she her
it its
we our
they their

How to Use Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives:

  • Come before the noun they modify
  • Show ownership or relationship
  • Do not change form regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural
  • Are not followed by apostrophes

First Person: My and Our

  1. My - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to you (the speaker)

    • This is my book.
    • My car is parked outside.
    • I love my family.

  2. Our - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to you and one or more other people

    • Our house is on the corner.
    • We finished our homework.
    • Our team won the championship.

Second Person: Your

  1. Your - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to the person or people being addressed
    • Is this your pen?
    • Your children are very polite.
    • I like your new haircut.

Third Person: His, Her, Its, and Their

  1. His - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to a male person

    • That's his car.
    • His parents live in Canada.
    • I borrowed his laptop.

  2. Her - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to a female person

    • Those are her glasses.
    • Her sister is a doctor.
    • I like her ideas.

  3. Its - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to a thing or animal

    • The dog wagged its tail.
    • The company changed its policy.
    • The tree lost its leaves in autumn.

  4. Their - Used to show that something belongs to or is related to:

    • Multiple people: The students forgot their books.
    • Multiple things: The companies increased their prices.
    • A single person of unspecified gender: Someone left their umbrella.

Important Distinctions

Its vs. It's

One of the most common mistakes in English is confusing "its" and "it's":

  • its = possessive adjective showing ownership (no apostrophe)

    • The cat licked its paws.

  • it's = contraction of "it is" or "it has" (with apostrophe)

    • It's going to rain today. (It is)
    • It's been a long day. (It has)

Your vs. You're

Another common confusion:

  • your = possessive adjective

    • Is this your book?

  • you're = contraction of "you are"

    • You're going to be late.

Their vs. There vs. They're

These three words sound the same but have different meanings:

  • their = possessive adjective

    • Their house is beautiful.

  • there = adverb of place or pronoun introducing a clause

    • The book is over there.
    • There are many people here.

  • they're = contraction of "they are"

    • They're coming to dinner tonight.

Possessive Adjectives vs. Possessive Pronouns

Do not confuse possessive adjectives with possessive pronouns:

  • Possessive adjectives appear before nouns:

    • This is my book.
    • Those are her glasses.

  • Possessive pronouns stand alone and replace noun phrases:

    • This book is mine.
    • Those glasses are hers.
Possessive Adjective Possessive Pronoun
my mine
your yours
his his
her hers
its its
our ours
their theirs

Agreement with Nouns

In English, possessive adjectives agree with the possessor (the owner), not with the noun that follows them:

  • John has a car. His car is blue. (not "her car" even if "car" is feminine in some languages)
  • Mary has books. Her books are on the shelf. (not "his books" even if "books" is masculine in some languages)

This is different from many other languages where possessives agree with the thing being possessed.

Usage in Sentences

Possessive adjectives are used:

  1. To show ownership of objects

    • This is my computer.
    • He lost his phone.

  2. To describe relationships

    • My parents live in Chicago.
    • Their daughter studies medicine.

  3. To talk about body parts

    • She broke her arm.
    • He hurt his back.

  4. To discuss characteristics

    • I like your attitude.
    • We must improve our skills.

  5. In fixed expressions

    • In my opinion
    • Do your best
    • On her own
    • Take their time

Examples in Context

  • I can't find my keys. Have you seen them?
  • Please close your books and listen carefully.
  • John forgot his homework at home.
  • Maria always does her exercises correctly.
  • The cat is licking its paws.
  • Our flight leaves at 10 AM tomorrow.
  • The students raised their hands to answer the question.

Practice Exercises

Complete the sentences with the correct possessive adjective:

  1. I have a car. _____ car is blue.
  2. You have a new phone. Is that _____ phone?
  3. He has a sister. _____ sister is a teacher.
  4. She has three brothers. _____ brothers are all doctors.
  5. The dog is eating _____ food.
  6. We have a house in the country. _____ house is very old.
  7. They have two children. _____ children go to the same school.

Remember that possessive adjectives are essential for clear communication in English, so practice using them correctly!