In this chapter
Whose phone is this? Is it your phone or my phone? When we talk about people, their families and their things, we need words that show who something belongs to. These words are called possessive adjectives.
Each subject pronoun from Chapter 2 has its own possessive adjective: I → my, you → your, she → her and so on. In this chapter you will learn all seven, see where they go in a sentence, and learn how to choose between his, her and its — a common problem for learners.
Learning objectives
By the end of this chapter
- I can use my, your, his, her, its, our and their.
- I can put a possessive adjective before a noun.
- I can choose his, her or its by the owner.
- I can tell its from it's, and their from there.
My, your, his, her, its, our, their
A possessive adjective tells us whose something is. There is one for each subject pronoun.
| Subject pronoun | Possessive adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | My name is Ana. |
| you | your | Is this your pen? |
| he | his | His car is red. |
| she | her | Her brother is tall. |
| it | its | The dog wants its dinner. |
| we | our | Our house is small. |
| they | their | Their children are at school. |
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This ( subject ) is ( verb ) my ( determiner ) book. ( noun )
The book belongs to me.
-
Her name ( subject ) is ( verb ) Anna. ( complement )
The name belongs to her.
-
Our house ( subject ) is ( verb ) small. ( complement )
-
Their car is new.
The car belongs to them.
Quick check___ name is Anna. She's from Poland.
Before the noun — and never plural
A possessive adjective always comes before a noun, and it never changes: my book, my books. There is no mys and no -s on your before a noun.
The pattern
possessive adjective + (adjective) + noun
my car, my new car, my new cars
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I ( subject ) love ( verb ) your ( determiner ) new ( adjective ) jacket. ( noun )
-
My sisters are at university.
my stays the same with a plural noun.
-
They are our friends.
our + plural noun.
Quick checkThis is ___ book. It belongs to me.
His, her and its
Choose by the owner, not the thing. Use his when the owner is a man or boy, her when the owner is a woman or girl, and its when the owner is an animal or a thing.
-
The dog ( subject ) wants ( verb ) its ( determiner ) dinner. ( noun )
its — the owner is an animal.
-
Tom loves his mother.
his, because Tom is a man.
-
Maria is with her father.
her, because Maria is a woman.
-
Tom is talking to his sister.
his, not her — the owner is Tom.
Quick checkThe cat is washing ___ paws.
Your, our and their
your is for one person or many. our includes you. their is for other people or things.
-
We ( subject ) love ( verb ) our teacher. ( object )
-
Is this your coat, Sam?
your — one person.
-
Children, please open your books.
your — many people, the same word.
-
My parents love their garden.
their — the garden belongs to them.
Quick checkPut the words in order.
Errors to avoid
These are the mistakes learners make most often with this grammar. Read the wrong sentence, then the right one, and notice the change.
-
Incorrect: This is mine book.
Correct: This is my book.
Use my before a noun; mine stands alone.
-
Incorrect: The cat likes it's food.
Correct: The cat likes its food.
Its (no apostrophe) shows possession; it's means it is.
-
Incorrect: Maria loves his brother.
Correct: Maria loves her brother.
Maria is a woman, so use her.
-
Incorrect: I like yours shoes.
Correct: I like your shoes.
Possessive adjectives never take -s.
Hear it in use
Listen to the whole conversation first. Then play one line at a time and say it after the speaker. The words in colour are this chapter’s grammar.
Conversation
Lost property
Lena goes to the lost property office at her language school.
- Officer
Hello. Can I help you?
- Lena
Yes, I think this is my bag! It's blue with a white star.
- Officer
Let me see. What's your name, please?
- Lena
Lena Novak. My name is inside, on a card.
my name — the name belongs to me.
- Officer
Yes, here it is. And is this your umbrella too?
- Lena
No, it's my friend's umbrella. Her name is Jess.
her — Jess is a woman.
- Officer
OK. These keys are here too. Are they your keys?
- Lena
No. Maybe they're Mr Hall's. It's his classroom next door.
his — Mr Hall is a man.
- Officer
Thanks. And this phone is in its case — a red one.
its — the case belongs to the phone.
- Lena
Ha! That's our teacher's phone. The teachers always forget their phones!
their — the phones belong to the teachers.
What to remember
- 1 The possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our and their.
- 2 They go before a noun and never change: my book, my books.
- 3 Choose by the owner: Tom → his, Anna → her, an animal or thing → its.
- 4 its shows possession; it's means it is.
- 5 their (belongs to them), there (a place) and they're (they are) sound the same but mean different things.
| Subject | Possessive | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | my bag |
| you | your | your bag |
| he | his | his bag |
| she | her | her bag |
| it | its | its bag |
| we | our | our bag |
| they | their | their bag |
Test yourself
Knowledge check
22 questions on Possessive Adjectives
One question at a time, with an explanation after every answer. Score 18 or more (80%) and the chapter is marked complete.