Possessive pronouns and adjectives are two different ways to show possession in English.
The lesson below shows you how to use them. Click on the tests at the bottom of the page to check your understanding.
First, let’s start with the structure:
Possessive Adjectives
Possessive Adjective + Noun
Examples:
- My dog is big.
- Her cat is brown.
- Their sister works downtown.
Possessive Pronouns
Noun + Possessive Pronoun
Examples:
- The dog is mine.
- The brown cat is hers.
- The car is ours.
Possessive adjectives go before the noun and possessive pronouns go after the noun. Here are some examples:
- This is my car.
- The car is mine.
- Is that your pen?
- Is that pen yours?
Here is a list of the possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns:
| Possessive Adjectives | Possessive Pronouns |
| My | Mine |
| Your | Yours |
| Her | Hers |
| His | His |
| Its | Its |
| Our | Ours |
| Their | Theirs |
To practice possessives, try these tests: