possessive pronouns

Categories: Basic English Grammar Accuracy

A possessive pronoun shows ownership and can stand alone without a noun, such as "mine," "yours," "his," "hers," "its," "ours," and "theirs". Unlike possessive determiners (like "my" or "her"), which come before a noun, a possessive pronoun replaces the entire noun phrase to avoid repetition. For example, "That car is mine" uses "mine" as a standalone possessive pronoun, while "That is my car" uses "my" as a possessive determiner.  

The main possessive pronouns are: 

• Mine: "This book is mine."

• Yours: "I think this pen is yours."

• His: "The hat is his."

• Hers: "The ball is hers."

• Its: "The house is its."

• Ours: "This is ours."

• Theirs: "That is theirs."

How to use possessive pronouns:

• Show ownership: They indicate that something belongs to someone.  

• Replace a noun phrase: They take the place of a noun that was already mentioned to prevent repetition. 

• Stand on their own: They are not followed by the noun they represent.
  

Key difference from possessive determiners:

• Possessive pronouns: are used independently and replace a noun (e.g., "That is mine").