ESL Lesson: Possessive Pronouns

This blog entry is all about possessive pronouns. Remember, we discussed possessive nouns here. A pronoun is a word that takes the place of a person, place, thing, animal, idea or event. Pronouns include I, me, he, she, they, we, you, us, and it. Possessive pronouns take the place of owned, belonged or related things. Like all pronouns, possessive pronouns help keep speech and writing more direct by not repeating the noun over and over again.

The following are the eight possessive pronouns in English
1) Mine: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to the speaker.
Examples:
I bought those shoes yesterday. They are mine.
The blue umbrella on the floor is mine.

2) Yours: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to the person the speaker is addressing.
Examples:
I picked these flowers for you; they're yours.
The new computer is available to you; it's all yours.
The keys with the colorful key-chain are yours.

3) His: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to a male noun.
Examples:
The dog chewed on his bone.
His shoes were muddy after it rained this afternoon.
His brother, Ted, came to visit him this week.

4) Hers: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to a female noun.
Examples:
The bright and colorful skirt that was folded on the table was hers.
That pile of books on the table are hers.

5) Its: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to a thing or animal.
Examples:
The cat licked its paws and legs while sitting on the sofa.
The tree lost its leaves when the cold wind blew them away.

6) Ours: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to us or we.
Examples:
The day is ours to enjoy.
The house across the street is much bigger than ours.
The white domestic cat that ran away is not ours; our cat is black.


7) Theirs: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to "they" or a group that does not include the speaker/writer.
Examples:
Is this book mine? No, the book is theirs.
Our sailing boat is much smaller than theirs.
The food on their table is theirs.

8) Whose: This possessive pronoun refers to what belongs to whom.
Examples:
This is the man whose father started the local newspaper.
The woman, whose sunglasses were very dark, said that she was sensitive to light.


Do you understand possessive pronouns better? Share your questions, comments or suggestions in the comment section. Stay tuned for more ESL advice on this blog. If you are interested in personal, one-on-one tutoring in ESL or other subjects, contact Kingston University USA. Find out how you can live locally and learn globally!

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