Possessive pronouns show ownership or possession.
Possessive pronouns: These are used instead of a noun to show ownership. The possessive pronouns are:
- mine (e.g., This book is mine)
- yours (e.g., Is this car yours?)
- his (e.g., That phone is his)
- hers (e.g., The bag is hers)
- its (not commonly used in this form)
- ours (e.g., This house is ours)
- theirs (e.g., The dog is theirs)
In contrast, possessive adjectives are used before a noun to describe to whom something belongs. The possessive adjectives are:
- my (e.g., my book)
- your (e.g., your car)
- his (e.g., his phone)
- her (e.g., her bag)
- its (e.g., its tail)
- our (e.g., our house)
- their (e.g., their dog)
Possessive pronouns and can be used after "of". For example, "Susan is one of my friends" can be changed to "Susan is a friend of mine".
Conditions for use:
- Use possessive adjectives when you need to describe a noun: "This is my book."
- Use possessive pronouns when you want to replace a noun: "This book is mine."
