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What are Possessive Pronouns?

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What are Possessive Pronouns?
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.3.1A

Basics on the topic What are Possessive Pronouns?

Possessive Pronouns – Definition

Possessive pronouns are special words we use in English to show that something belongs to someone. They are like little signs that say "This is mine!" or "That is yours!" They help us avoid repeating the same information over and over again, making our sentences cleaner and easier to understand. Possessive pronouns take the place of a noun in a sentence.

List of Possessive Pronouns in English

There are six possessive pronouns in English that you need to know. We distinguish between singular and plural:

Possessive Pronouns
Singular 1. mine
1. yours
1. his, hers, its
Plural 1. ours
1. yours
1. theirs

Each one corresponds to a different person or group of people. For example, "mine" is used when something belongs to me, and "yours" is used when something belongs to you.

Possessive Pronouns – Examples

Let's look at some examples to understand this better. Imagine your friend Raúl has some peace lilies, and you do too. You might say, "Raúl’s peace lilies are healthier than my peace lilies." But that's a bit repetitive, isn't it? We can use an independent possessive pronoun to make it simpler: "Raúl’s peace lilies are healthier than mine." Possessive pronouns are often found at the end of sentences or phrases. For example, you could say “The three juggling balls are Pip’s”. If you want to replace “Pip” with a possessive pronoun, you can say "The three juggling balls are his.".

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Possessive Pronouns – Common Mistakes

One common mistake is mixing up its and it’s. 'Its' is a possessive pronoun, used to show that something belongs to 'it'. For example, "The cat washed its paws." On the other hand, 'it’s' is a short form of 'it is' or 'it has'. For example, "It’s raining outside." Another common mistake is using an apostrophe in possessive adjectives. Remember, possessive pronouns never use apostrophes. So, "your’s", "their’s", "our’s", and "her’s" are always incorrect.

  • Incorrect: The boat lost it’s mast in the storm.
  • Correct: The boat lost its mast in the storm.

  • Incorrect: Don’t judge a book by it’s cover.

  • Correct: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Possessive Pronouns – Summary

Today we've explored the world of possessive pronouns, from their definition and usage to common mistakes and how to avoid them. Using possessive pronouns correctly is important for clear and effective communication. They help us to express ownership concisely and accurately, making our sentences easier to understand and more pleasant to read, since you are avoiding repetition.

Do you want to practice possessive pronouns some more? Be sure to check out our interactive exercises, printable worksheets and other activities on possessive pronouns.

Frequently Asked Questions about Possessive Pronouns

What is a possessive pronoun?
What is the difference between possessive pronouns and possessive determiners?
What is the common mistake between 'its' and 'it’s'?
Can possessive pronouns be used as subjects?
Can possessive pronouns stand alone in a sentence?

Transcript What are Possessive Pronouns?

"Well Pip, it looks we have found all of our missing items." "But how do we know which item belongs to who?" "It looks like each object has labels, let's see if they help us!" "Okay! But remember, I use he and him pronouns!" "And I use she and her pronouns!" Let's help Detectives Koko and Pip sort the items by learning all about possessive pronouns. Possessive pronouns take the place of nouns to shown ownership. Possessive pronouns can be singular, which is when we talk about one subject or object, or plural, when talking about multiple subjects or objects. Possessive pronouns can be used in the first person, which is the I and me perspective. First person possessive pronouns are mine for singular and ours for plural. They can be used in the second person, which is the you perspective. Second person possessive pronouns are yours for both singular and plural. Finally, possessive pronouns can also be used in the third person, which is the she, he, they, or it perspective. Third person singular possessive pronouns include his, hers, its, and theirs, with the plural also being theirs. Detectives Koko and Pip have found some labels on objects to investigate! Here is the first clue, the red bicycle is hers. Here, we have the third person singular pronoun, hers. Since we know hers is a third person pronoun for someone that uses female pronouns, we know this object belongs to Koko! We can replace the possessive pronoun with the proper noun to see if it makes sense. The red bicycle is Koko's. This makes sense, as we know from earlier that Koko uses female pronouns! Let's take a look at another clue now. The three juggling balls are his. What is the possessive pronoun you see here? His is the possessive pronoun. What perspective is this? Since we know his is a third person pronoun for someone that uses male pronouns, we know this object belongs to Pip! If you replace the possessive pronoun with the proper noun, what will the sentence become? The three juggling balls are Pip's. This makes sense, since we know from earlier that Pip uses male pronouns! It looks like Detectives Koko and Pip have found another clue. All of the instruments you see here are ours. What is the possessive pronoun here? The possessive pronoun is ours. What perspective is this? It is the first person perspective in plural form, which means it is talking about multiple owners. If you replace the possessive pronoun with the proper nouns, what will the sentence become? All of the instruments you see here are Koko's and Pip's. This makes sense, since we know that ours shows multiple owners. While Detectives Koko and Pip sort the rest of the items, let's review! Remember, possessive pronouns take the place of nouns to show ownership. Possessive pronouns can be singular or plural. Possessive pronouns can be used in the first person, which is the I and me perspective. They can also be used in the second person, which is the you perspective. Finally, possessive pronouns can also be used in the third person, which is the she, he, they, or it perspective. "Pip, how is it possible that you have that many items?" "I don't know, but they're all mine!"

What are Possessive Pronouns? exercise

Would you like to apply the knowledge you’ve learned? You can review and practice it with the tasks for the video What are Possessive Pronouns?.
  • What are possessive pronouns?

    Hints

    Possessive pronouns help us determine the owner of something.

    We can replace the possessive pronoun with the proper noun to see if it makes sense.

    His refers to someone that uses male pronouns.

    Solution

    Possessive pronouns take the place of nouns to show ownership.

  • Can you sort the possessive pronouns?

    Hints

    This sentence has possessive pronouns in the 1st person: The blue toy on the table is mine.

    Hers is a third person pronoun for someone that uses female pronouns.

    Solution

    First person possessive pronouns are mine for singular and ours for plural.

    Second person possessive pronouns are yours for both singular and plural.

    Third person singular possessive pronouns include his, hers, its, and theirs, with the plural also being theirs.

  • Find the missing pronoun.

    Hints

    Remember, possessive pronouns take the place of nouns to show ownership.

    If something belongs to him, it is his.

    If you want the sticker, it is yours.

    If things belong to us, they are ours.

    Solution

    Here are the correct answers:
    All of the books are his. His sister gave them to him.
    These crayons are ours. They belong to us.
    If you lose your pencil, you can use mine.
    This sticker is yours if you want it.
    The books are theirs. They bought them last week.

  • Identify if the statements use the correct possessive pronoun.

    Hints

    Koko uses female pronouns. The hat is hers.

    Ours is the first person perspective in plural form, which means it is talking about multiple owners.

    Solution

    Here are the statements using the correct possessive pronouns:

    • Tom loves kites. These three kites are his. The kites are Tom's.
    • We are going camping. These tents are ours.

  • Classify the possessive pronouns in the sentences.

    Hints

    In these sentences, you will find 3 singular and 2 plural pronouns.

    We use ours when talking about multiple owners.

    His is a third person singular pronoun for someone that uses male pronouns.

    Solution

    Possessive pronouns can be singular, which is when we talk about one subject or object, or plural, when talking about multiple subjects or objects.

  • What is the missing possessive pronoun?

    Hints

    If something belongs to me, it is mine.

    This is Koko's pencil case. It is hers.

    Solution

    Possessive pronouns can be used in the first person, which are the I and me perspectives.
    First person possessive pronouns are mine for singular and ours for plural.
    Possessive pronouns can also be used in the second person, which is the you perspective. Second person possessive pronouns are yours for both singular and plural.
    Finally, possessive pronouns can also be used in the third person, which are the she, he, they, or it perspectives.