Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
Showing ownership: my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, its, our/ours, their/theirs
When to Use Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
- •Possessive determiners before nouns: my book, your car, their house.
- •Possessive pronouns replace noun: This is mine. That's yours.
- •Determiners: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
- •Pronouns: mine, yours, his, hers, (its), ours, theirs.
- •His is the same for both; its rarely used as pronoun.
How to Form Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
Affirmative (+)
Determiner + noun OR Pronoun alone
Negative (-)
This isn't my book. This isn't mine.
Question (?)
Is this your bag? Is this yours?
💡 Determiners need a noun after them; pronouns stand alone.
Examples of Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
✓This is my pen. This pen is mine.
✗This is mine pen.
Mine is a pronoun (no noun after); my is a determiner (needs noun).
✓Is this book yours?
✗Is this book your?
Pronoun yours replaces 'your book'.
✓Their car is red. Theirs is red.
✗Theirs car is red.
Theirs is a pronoun; their is a determiner.
Common Mistakes with Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
💡 Practice Tips for Possessive Pronouns and Determiners
- • Determiner + noun: my book, your car, their house.
- • Pronoun alone: mine, yours, theirs (no noun after).
- • No apostrophe: hers, its, yours, theirs.
- • His works as both: his book (det.) / This is his (pron.).
Quick Quiz
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