Possessive Pronouns:

Possessive Pronouns replace a noun with an apostrophe and “s” to show ownership or possession of a noun.

These pronouns are mainly used to substitute a noun or a noun phrase in order to prevent the repetition of a noun in the sentence.

Possessive Pronouns are: mine, yours, ours, hers, his, its, theirs

Examples:

• All those plots may be yours.
• This building is mine.
• Mine is a lucrative package.  What about yours?
• Ours is the most innovative way of teaching.
• The mobile in your pocket is mine.
• All the jewellery seen here is hers.
• Out of all the paintings, his is the best.
• His is the most creative brain.
• This new car is theirs.
• There are so many cars parked but theirs is a new one.

Note:

Contractive form Vs. Possessive Pronoun

Avoid apostrophe:

The common mistake that we find related to Possessive Pronouns is using an apostrophe with ‘yours,’ ‘hers,’ ‘ours,’ or ‘theirs.’  In Fact, the Possessive Pronouns do not require any apostrophe as they are already in the possessive form, So don’t use an apostrophe with them.

People have different opinions on God. You have yours (not your’s) and we have ours (not our’s).

The difference between Possessive Pronouns and Possessive adjectives:

Possessive Pronouns are used simply predicatively. These Pronouns are called strong or absolute Possessive Pronouns.

Mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs

Possessive Adjectives modify nouns and used before them attributively. These Pronouns are also called weak Possessive Pronouns.

My, our, your, his, her, its, their

Example Sentences:

• This is your car. (Possessive Adjective)
• This car is yours. (Possessive Pronoun)

• They are all my farmlands. (Possessive Adjective)
• Those farmlands are mine. (Possessive Pronoun)

• His car is red in colour. (Possessive Adjective)
• The car red in colour is his. (Possessive Pronoun)

• Their motorbike has been damaged. (Possessive Adjective)
• The damaged motorbike is theirs. (Possessive Pronoun)

• Her money has been donated to the poor. (Possessive Adjective)
• The money donated to the poor is hers. (Possessive Pronoun)

•  Their puppy is in its kennel (Possessive Adjective)
• The puppy in its kennel is theirs. (Possessive Pronoun)

Possessive Pronouns Exercises:

Find out the Pronouns in the following sentences and say whether they are Possessive Pronouns or Possessive Adjectives.

1. My car is not working. I use yours?
2. Her bike is damaged. Take care of yours.
3. Their money is lost in the stocks. What about his?
4. Our bag is small but theirs is big.
5. Its speed is reduced intentionally.
6. His certificates are submitted. Can you submit yours?
7. Do they attend his programme?
8. Our house is beside theirs.
9. Their cute kitten is now hers.
10. Can I have her mobile number?
11. The car is mine and the bike is ours.
12. My lappy is on the table but hers is in the bag.
13. Her speech is very impressive but his is inspiring.
14. Their office is in the city and yours is on the outskirts.
15. The new ad made recently is hers but not theirs.

Answers:

1. My – Possessive Adjective;  Yours – Possessive Pronoun
2. Her – Possessive Adjective;  Yours – Possessive Pronoun
3. Their – Possessive Adjective; His – Possessive Pronoun
4. Our –  Possessive Adjective; Theirs – Possessive Pronoun
5. Its – Possessive Adjective
6. His – Possessive Adjective; Yours – Possessive Pronoun
7. His – Possessive Adjective
8. Our – Possessive Adjective; Theirs – Possessive Pronoun
9. Their – Possessive Adjective; Hers – Possessive Pronoun
10. Her – Possessive Adjective
11. Mine – Possessive Pronoun;  Yours – Possessive Pronoun
12. My – Possessive Adjective;  Hers – Possessive Pronoun
13. Her – Possessive Adjective; His – Possessive Pronoun
14. Their – Possessive Adjective; Yours – Possessive Pronoun
15. Hers – Possessive Pronoun; Theirs – Possessive Pronoun

• Types of Pronouns
• Uses of Pronouns
• Impersonal Pronoun
• Exclamatory Pronouns
• Interrogative Pronouns
• Defining and non-defining relative clauses
• Omission of the Relative Pronoun
• Relative Pronouns
• Reciprocal Pronouns
• Distributive Pronouns
• Indefinite Pronouns
• Demonstrative Pronouns
• Reflexive and Emphatic Pronouns
• Personal Pronouns