< Pronouns

Pronouns: Pronouns #2 (Possessive Adjectives / Pronouns)

Dennis Oliver

Possessive Adjectives
and
Possessive Pronouns

Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns in
English are often confusing--because most of them are
very similar in form and one has exactly the same form
for both the adjective and the pronoun.

	possessive adjectives		possessive pronouns
	my		mine
	your		yours
	his		his
	her		hers
	its		--- *
	our		ours
	your (plural)		yours (plural)
	their		theirs

The grammar requirements for possessive adjectives and
possessive pronouns are different, however:

possessive
adjectives

Use these with nouns or
noun phrases:

What's my / your / his / her / its /
our / their problem?

Jill doesn't have my / your / his /
her / our / their home phone number.

possessive
pronouns

Use these alone. Don't use them
with nouns or noun phrases:

Everyone has problems. What's
mine / yours / his / hers / ours / theirs?

Joe has everyone's home phone
numbers except mine / yours /
hers / ours / theirs.

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Special Notes:

1.		Important: Adjectives are not plural in English, so possessive adjectives have only one form: That's my / your / his / her / our / their key. Those are my / your / his / her / our / their keys.

2.		Important: Do not use possessive pronouns with nouns or noun phrases: < FONT COLOR="#ff0000" SIZE="+1">wrong: Those are theirs books. wrong:* Have you met *mine brother?

3.		Remember: There is no commonly used possessive pronoun for it.

4.		The words its and it's are pronounced the same, but they have different meanings and grammar: its = possessive adjective it's = contraction for it is or it has Do not use it's for a possessive pronoun: wrong: What are it's main advantages? wrong:* Read the instruction manual. *It's directions are easy to understand.

Pronouns: Pronouns #2 (Possessive Adjectives / Pronouns)

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