Beginner Grammar Lesson about Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns
“We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them all?”
~Samantha Harvey, English novelist and winner of the Booker Prize 20024
Hi and welcome!
In today’s beginner grammar lesson, you will learn more about the difference between Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns.
If you have not read the previous short story entitled ‘The Possessive Wife‘, do read it because we tackled this grammatical concept.
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns correctly.
Now take a pen and a piece of paper and let’s get started!
Step 1: Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns—First Things First!
How much do you know about Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns? Do the quiz below to find out!
Step 2: Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns—Some Definitions
Before we look at what Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns are, let’s start with a few important definitions.
Possessive: This is a word that shows ownership.
Adjective: This is a word that modifies a noun. It can be placed before or after the noun it modifies. E.g. This is a big house. The house is big.
Possessive Adjective: This is an Adjective that shows ownership. It is always followed by the noun it modifies. E.g. My mother is tall.
Personal Pronoun (Subject): This is a word that replaces a noun or a noun phrase. E.g. The man is cutting the grass. He is cutting the grass. (‘He’ is a Personal Pronoun Subject and refers to the man. ‘He’ is the one doing the action, therefore we call ‘He’ the Subject.
Personal Pronoun Object: The man is cutting the grass. The man is cutting it. ‘It‘ is the Personal Pronoun Object. ‘It’ is said to be the Object because an action is being performed on it. ‘It’ is like a ‘victim’ here.
Possessive Pronoun: This is a Pronoun that shows ownership. A Possessive Pronoun is independent and is never followed by a noun. E.g. This is my car. This car is mine. This is mine.
Possessive Adjectives: Special Characteristics
- They indicate ownership. E.g. Their bags/suitcases/house, etc.
- They show a relationship such as in families or at the workplace. E.g. His mother, his wife, his daughter, etc.
- They are always followed by a noun. E.g. Her pen is blue.
- They agree in number and gender possessor. E.g. A woman who possesses a pencil. (Her pen/pens).
- They always remain the same and do not change to match the gender or number of the noun they are modifying. E.g. Her pencil/her pen/her daughter/her car/her pencils/her pens/her daughters/her cars, etc. In French, this would be: son crayon/son stylo/sa fille/sa voiture/ses crayons/ses stylos/ses filles/ses voitures, etc.
- The Possessive Adjective ‘Its’ has got no apostrophe. E.g. Its bone. In English, ‘It’s can be=It is or It has.
- The Possessive Adjective ‘Their’ has got no apostrophe. E.g. Their house. In English, ‘They’re’ and ‘There’ sound like ‘Their’ but they mean two different things. ‘They’re’ is ‘They are’ and ‘There’ is an Adverb of place.
- Possessive Adjectives are also called Possessive Determiners because they come before nouns.
Your Turn: Answer the following question: Why do we use Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns?
Possessive Pronouns: Special Characteristics
- They show ownership. E.g. This is his.
- They replace a noun or a noun phrase to avoid repetition. E.g. That is his car. That is his./ This my new dress. It’s mine.
- They can stand alone. Besides, they are not followed by any noun. E.g. This is my pencil. This pencil is mine. This is mine.
RECAP: Personal Pronouns and Possesive Adjectives
| PERSONAL PRONOUN SUBJECT | PERSONAL PRONOUN OBJECT | POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE |
| I | ME | MY |
| YOU | YOU | YOUR |
| HE/SHE/IT | HIM/HER/IT | HIS/HER/ITS |
| WE | US | OUR |
| YOU | YOU | YOUR |
| THEY | THEM | THEIR |
RECAP: Personal Pronouns and Possessive Pronouns
| PERSONAL PRONOUN SUBJECT | PERSONAL PRONOUN OBJECT | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN |
| I | ME | MINE |
| YOU | YOU | YOURS |
| HE/SHE/IT | HIM/HER/IT | HIS/HERS |
| WE | US | OURS |
| YOU | YOU | YOURS |
| THEY | THEM | THEIRS |
Step 3: Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns—Examples
Possessive Adjectives: Examples
- My girlfriend is cute.
- Your teacher is kind.
- His dog is funny.
- Her pen is expensive.
- Its bone is tasty.
- Our house is huge.
- Your school is popular.
- Their bags are colourful.
Your Turn: Can you make 1 example with each Possessive Adjective?
Possessive Pronouns: Examples
- That pink house is mine.
- Yours is blue.
- His is purple.
- Hers is yellow.
- Ours is green.
- Yours is black.
- Theirs is brown.
You can also say:
- This is mine.
- Is this yours?
- Is it his? Or is it hers?
- That is ours.
- This is yours.
- It’s/It is theirs.
Your Turn: Can you make 1 example with each Possessive Pronoun?
This is the end of the lesson on Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns. I hope you enjoyed it!
If you have any questions, you can contact us using the ‘Contact’ page of the website.
Until next time!
Take care!
Further Exploration: Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns (Beginner to Intermediate English Grammar Lesson)—With Detailed Grammar charts (Level A1-A2-B1)
Download PDF Document:
You might also like this:
- Intermediate English Short Story—The Possessive Wife—With Detailed Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns, Learn English With Africa, September 2025
- Vocabulary, Grammar and Reading Comprehension Worksheet (Intermediate English Short Story—The Possessive Wife—With Detailed Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns), Learn English With Africa, September 2025
- Correction_ Vocabulary, Grammar and Reading Comprehension Worksheet (Intermediate English Short Story—The Possessive Wife—With Detailed Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns), Learn English With Africa, September 2025
- English Grammar PDF, Intermediate English short Story, The Possessive Wife, Learn English With Africa, September 2025
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About the Author
Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.
Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks English, French, Polish, Italian, Chichewa and Chitumbuka. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.
Course Title: Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns (Beginner to Intermediate English Grammar Lesson)—With Detailed Grammar charts (Level A1-A2-B1)© Learn English With Africa, September 2025
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