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A possessive adjective shows ownership or relation to a noun, clarifying who or what owns something. Examples of this type of adjective include my, your, his, her, its, our, and their. To use them correctly, you must place the adjective before the noun: “my book,” “their car.” You can avoid confusion by remembering that possessive adjectives differ from possessive pronouns (mine, ours). Always match the adjective with the noun it describes, and remember, unlike nouns, they don’t use apostrophes! Practice with examples to master them.
To read more about possessive adjective, keep reading the blog.
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What Are Possessive Adjectives?
The words that are used before a noun that denotes possession or ownership of that noun are called possessive adjectives. Let’s understand with the help of an example: Rajat has lost his keys.
In the above example, Rajat (subject) lost keys(noun), and the word his denotes possession which explains to us that Rajat lost his keys basically whose keys ??? His keys so the term his is used to show ownership here.
Learn More About Adjective: Definition, Usage, Example, Forms, and Types here!
Key List of Possessive Adjectives in English Grammar
Possessive adjectives change according to the personal pronouns and gender of the person who owns the nouns. Possessive adjectives can be used at the beginning, middle, and end of the sentence. Read the table carefully:
| Pronouns(1st, 2nd, 3rd person) | The Subject of the Pronoun | Possessive Adjectives |
| Ist person singular | I | my |
| 2nd person singular | you | your |
| 3rd person singular | he she it | his her its |
| Ist person plural | we | our |
| 2nd person plural | you | your |
| 3rd person plural | they | their |
Examples of Possessive Adjectives
Let’s understand the examples of possessive adjectives and their usage through the table below.
| Subject Pronoun (1st, 2nd, 3rd person) | Possessive Adjectives | Examples in Detail |
| I | My | I like my bag. |
| You | Your | Where are your belongings? |
| He | His | I am holding his hat. |
| She | Her | This is her house. |
| It | Its | Its fur is too soft. |
| We | Our | They are going to our house. |
| You (plural) | Your | Did you all have your lunch today? |
| They | Their | I am going to their house. |
Difference Between Possessive Adjectives And Possessive Pronouns
It is very important for us to understand the basic difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns so go through the table thoroughly to have a better understanding of the concept.
| Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronouns | |
| Definition | Possessive adjectives are used before a noun to describe more information about the possession or the ownership of that noun. | I play football. He is a doctor. |
| Place | Possessive adjectives can be used at the beginning, middle, or at the end of the sentence. | Possessive pronouns can never be placed at the beginning of the sentence. |
| Examples | This is my football. I like his profession. | I play football. He is a doctor. |
Exercise on Possessive Adjectives
Fill in the suitable possessive adjective in the following blanks:
- Have you met _______ sister? Don’t I look like ______?
- Reena bought a new car. Have you seen _______ car?
- Ridhi and Rahul are getting married.______ wedding is on 12th of November.
- We have recently purchased a dog but no one likes _____ dog in the apartments.
- ________ Science teacher gave us a project on the solar system.
- He has ______houseboat in Srinagar.
- Ridhi is going to Canada tomorrow. At what time ______ flight would leave?
- I have to buy new paint colours to finish ____ painting project.
- Do you know where _______ husband works?
- All the students will bring ______ certificates tomorrow.
Answers
Match your answers with the solved exercise given below:
- Have you met my sister? Don’t I look like her?
- Reena bought a new car. Have you seen her car?
- Ridhi and Rahul are getting married. Their wedding is on the 12th of November.
- We have recently purchased a dog but no one likes our dog in the apartments.
- Our Science teacher gave us a project on the solar system.
- He has his houseboat in Srinagar.
- Ridhi is going to Canada tomorrow. At what time her flight would leave?
- I have to buy new paint colours to finish my painting project.
- Do you know where her husband works?
- All the students will bring their certificates tomorrow.
FAQs
The words that are used to describe the ownership or possession of something basically tell us that a particular thing or object belongs to whom. For example, I am playing with my ball. In this example, the ball is the noun, and the word “my” describes the possession that the ball belongs to. So, here “my” is the possessive pronoun that gives extra information about the ball.
Possessive adjectives are used to qualify nouns whereas possessive pronouns are used in place of nouns they are not used to qualify the noun. For example, Rita loves to speak English but she lacks confidence. Possessive Pronoun Rita is carrying her beautiful bag. Possessive Adjective
Some of the possessive adjectives are his, her, their, my, our, your, his, her, its, etc
No, possessive adjectives never use apostrophes. Words like its and your show possession without apostrophes, unlike contractions (e.g., it’s for “it is”). Apostrophes only appear in possessive nouns, not possessive adjectives.
Yes, possessive adjectives must agree with the noun. For instance, you’d say “their cars” if there’s more than one car, but “their car” if there’s only one. They should always match in both number and ownership.
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