Possessive Pronouns

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership. They replace a noun phrase and tell us who something belongs to.

Examples:

• This suitcase is mine.

• That car is hers.

• The decision was theirs.

In these sentences, the possessive pronoun replaces a longer expression:

• This suitcase is my suitcase. → This suitcase is mine.

• That car is her car. → That car is hers.

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Possessive Pronouns vs. Possessive Determiners

ESL learners often confuse these two forms.

Possessive Determiners

A possessive determiner comes before a noun.

Examples:

• my book

• your car

• their house

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun stands alone and is not followed by a noun.

Examples:

• The book is mine.

• The car is yours.

• The house is theirs.

Compare:

Possessive Determiner	Possessive Pronoun
my book	mine
your book	yours
his book	his
her book	hers
its tail	its (rarely used)
our book	ours
their book	theirs

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English Possessive Pronouns

Possessor	Possessive Pronoun
I	mine
you	yours
he	his
she	hers
we	ours
they	theirs

Examples:

• The blue backpack is mine.

• Is this pen yours?

• The choice was his.

• That seat is hers.

• The victory was ours.

• The responsibility is theirs.

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Common ESL Errors

Do Not Use a Determiner Before a Possessive Pronoun

Possessive pronouns already contain the idea of possession.

• This book is mine. ✅

• This book is the mine. ❌

• That car is hers. ✅

• That car is the hers. ❌

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Do Not Put a Noun After a Possessive Pronoun

A possessive pronoun stands alone.

• This house is ours. ✅

• This house is ours house. ❌

• The decision is theirs. ✅

• The decision is theirs decision. ❌

If a noun follows, use a possessive determiner instead:

• This is our house. ✅

• This is ours house. ❌

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Possessive Pronoun or Possessive Determiner?

Use a possessive determiner before a noun:

• my book

• your car

• their house

Use a possessive pronoun when no noun follows:

• The book is mine.

• The car is yours.

• The house is theirs.

Compare:

• This is my book. ✅

• This book is mine. ✅

• That is their house. ✅

• That house is theirs. ✅

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Special Forms

Notice that possessive pronouns are different from their corresponding possessive determiners:

Determiner	Pronoun
my	mine
your	yours
her	hers
our	ours
their	theirs

Examples:

• This is my jacket. → This jacket is mine.

• That is their car. → That car is theirs.

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Common ESL Confusions

your vs. yours

• your = before a noun

  • your book

• yours = stands alone

  • The book is yours.

their vs. theirs

• their = before a noun

  • their house

• theirs = stands alone

  • The house is theirs.

her vs. hers

• her = before a noun

  • her coat

• hers = stands alone

  • The coat is hers.

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Quick Rule

Use a possessive determiner before a noun:

• my car

• your house

• their dog

Use a possessive pronoun when no noun follows:

• The car is mine.

• The house is yours.

• The dog is theirs.

Remember:

• Do not use the before a possessive pronoun.

• Do not put a noun after a possessive pronoun.

Examples:

• This book is mine. ✅

• This book is the mine. ❌

• That house is ours. ✅

• That house is ours house. ❌