Possessive Pronouns: Rules, Explanation, and Common Mistakes

Possessive Pronouns: Rules, Explanation, and Common Mistakes

Possessive pronouns are essential in English grammar. They show ownership and help avoid repetition in sentences. This article explains their rules, provides examples, corrects common mistakes, and includes exercises for practice.

What Are Possessive Pronouns?

Possessive pronouns replace nouns to show ownership or possession. They eliminate the need to repeat nouns in sentences.

List of Possessive Pronouns:

• Singular: mine, yours, his, hers, its

• Plural: ours, yours, theirs

Examples of Possessive Pronouns in Sentences:

• This book is mine.

• That house is theirs.

• Is this pen yours?

• The decision is hers, not yours.

Rules for Using Possessive Pronouns

1. Possessive Pronouns Stand Alone (No Noun After Them)

   • ✅ This bag is mine.

   • ❌ This is my bag. ("My" is a possessive adjective, not a possessive pronoun.)

2. Possessive Pronouns Do Not Use Apostrophes

   • ✅ The cat licked its paw.

   • ❌ The cat licked it’s paw. ("It’s" means "it is," not possession.)

3. "Yours," "Ours," and "Theirs" Do Not Need an Extra Noun

   • ✅ This car is ours.

   • ❌ This is ours car.

4. No Articles (a, an, the) Before Possessive Pronouns

   • ✅ That book is hers.

   • ❌ That book is the hers.

Common Mistakes with Possessive Pronouns (With Corrections)

1. Using a Possessive Adjective Instead of a Possessive Pronoun

❌ This laptop is my.
✅ This laptop is mine.
Explanation: "My" is a possessive adjective; "mine" is the correct possessive pronoun.

2. Adding an Apostrophe to "Its"

❌ The dog wagged it’s tail.
✅ The dog wagged its tail.
Explanation: "It’s" means "it is" or "it has," while "its" shows possession.

3. Adding an Extra Noun After a Possessive Pronoun

❌ That bag is yours bag.
✅ That bag is yours.
Explanation: Possessive pronouns replace the noun, so no extra noun is needed.

4. Using "Their's" Instead of "Theirs"

❌ The house is their's.
✅ The house is theirs.
Explanation: "Theirs" does not need an apostrophe; possessive pronouns do not use apostrophes.

Exercises: Practice Possessive Pronouns

Exercise 1: Identify the Possessive Pronouns

Find the possessive pronoun in each sentence.

1. This phone is mine, not yours.

2. That bicycle is hers, not his.

3. The decision is ours to make.

4. Is this umbrella yours?

5. The blue car is theirs.

Exercise 2: Correct the Mistakes

Rewrite the sentences correctly.

1. This pen is my.

2. The cat cleaned it’s fur.

3. That book is hers book.

4. The new house is their’s.

5. The decision is our’s, not theirs.

Exercise 3: Choose the Correct Possessive Pronoun

1. This house belongs to my parents. It is (ours / our).

2. This is not your pen. It is (her / hers).

3. The choice is (their / theirs) to make.

4. My phone is black, but (your / yours) is white.

5. This laptop is not (mine / my).

Exercise 4: Fill in the Blanks with the Correct Possessive Pronoun

1. This book belongs to John. It is _________.

2. We have our own room. The room is _________.

3. She owns that dress. The dress is _________.

4. That house belongs to them. It is _________.

5. I bought this phone. It is _________.