Possessive Pronouns: Examples and Grammatical Rules

A possessive pronoun is a pronoun that shows ownership. Also known as absolute possessive pronouns or strong possessive pronouns, these parts of speech can stand independently or replace other nouns, matching the quantity and gender when you’re describing a singular object or plural objects.

Possessive pronouns change depending on the perspective they describe or whether they are a singular or plural form. Here is a list of the basic possessive pronouns you’ll find in English grammar.

1. 1. First person: “Mine”
2. 2. First-person plural: “Ours”
3. 3. Second person: “Yours”
4. 4. Second-person plural: “Yours”
5. 5. Third person: The possessive pronoun for the third person changes depending on gender. For people who identify with “him/his” pronouns, it’s “his,” and for people who identify with “her/hers” pronouns, it’s “hers.” For genders that do not conform to either binary, “theirs” is often used instead.
6. 6. Third-person plural: “Theirs” (for all genders as well).

Possessive pronouns replace personal pronouns and possessive determiners (also known as possessive adjectives) to condense writing while still clearly indicating ownership. For example, rather than saying, “The house belongs to my sister and her husband,” you could simply say, “The house is theirs.” Here are some example sentences that demonstrate the use of possessive pronouns.

1. 1. “The dog is mine.” The possessive pronoun “mine” replaces the phrase “my dog,” which would make the sentence repetitive.
2. 2. “The donation was ours.” The possessive pronoun “ours” implies plural ownership of the donation.
3. 3. “I believe this is yours.” The possessive pronoun “yours” implies second-person ownership of “this.”
4. 4. “The portfolio is obviously hers.” The possessive pronoun “hers” clarifies the owner of the “portfolio.”
5. 5. “I think the car is theirs.” The possessive pronoun “theirs” clarifies to whom the car belongs.

There are a few helpful tips for avoiding grammatical errors when you’re using possessive pronouns.

1. 1. Avoid apostrophes. Many writers make the common mistake of adding an apostrophe to possessive pronouns. While apostrophes can indicate possession, possessive pronouns do not take apostrophes.
2. 2. Say your sentences out loud. Sometimes reading a sentence aloud can help you pinpoint which part of it is incorrect. If the word doesn’t sound right or seem to fit, try a different version of it.
3. 3. Check your placement. Possessive pronouns can either be used in place of a noun in a sentence or stand on their own. Unlike possessive adjectives, they will not appear before a noun or within a noun phrase.
4. 4. Try not to confuse them with possessive adjectives. Confusing possessive adjectives with possessive pronouns is a common error. While possessive adjectives indicate ownership, they also work as an antecedent before a noun to provide information about the possessive quality of the noun itself. Possessive adjectives include words like “my,” “your,” “our,” and “its” (which is the correct possessive form, rather than “it’s,” which is a contraction for “it is”).
   

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