Parts of Speech:
What is a possessive adjective?
Possessive adjectives show possession of one noun or nouns by another person or thing. They describe a relationship between nouns.
The possessive adjectives are: my, your, his, her, its, our, your and their.
Possessive Adjective
- That is my car.
- That is your bicycle.
- His backpack is red.
- Her purse is black.
- The dog loves its bone.
- Our house is on the left.
- You and Bill love your house.
- The brothers brought their tools.
Meaning
- That car belongs to me.
- That bicycle belongs to you.
- The backpack that belongs to him is red.
- The purse that belongs to her is black.
- The dog loves the bone that belongs to it.
- The house that belongs to us is on the left.
- You and Bill love the house that belongs to you.
- The brothers brought the tools that belong to them.
There are singular and plural possessive adjectives. Singular possessive pronouns are: my, your, his, hers and its. Plural possessive adjectives are: ours, yours, and theirs.
Singular Possessive Pronouns
- My mother loves my father.
- Your grandfather loves your grandmother.
- He loves his brother.
- She lovers her sister.
- The dog loves it’s bone.
Plural Possessive Pronouns
- Carol and I love our grandson.
- You and Carl love your children.
- Timmy and Jimmy love their video games.
What is the difference between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun?
A possessive adjectives modifies a noun by showing or expressing a relationship, or by showing the belonging of one or more nouns to other people or things. Possessive adjectives give information about existing nouns in a sentence, for example: my hat, your coat, his father, her brother, our house, their car
Possessive pronouns, on the other hand, take the place of nouns altogether. My hat becomes mine , your coat becomes yours, his father becomes his, her brother becomes hers, our house becomes ours, and their car becomes theirs. It is important to note that when possessive pronouns are used, they represent nouns that have been stated in previous sentences.
Possessive Adjective
- This book is my book.
- This is my book.
- These pencils are your pencils.
- These are your pencils.
- The ball is his ball.
- It is his ball.
- Her necklace is broken.
- It is her necklace.
- Those tables are our tables.
- Those are our tables.
- Their coats are on the bus.
- Where are their coats?
Possessive Pronoun
- This book is mine.
- This is mine.
- These pencils are yours.
- These are yours.
- The ball is his.
- It is his.
- Hers is broken.
- It is hers.
- Those tables are ours.
- Those are ours.
- Theirs are on the bus.
- Where are theirs?
What are some good examples of possessive adjectives in sentences?
Question
- Who talks a lot?
- Whose school is closed today?
- Which teacher walked on stage?
- What part of the table needs to be repaired?
- Who should students ask about the trip?
- Can Mary come play soccer with us?
- Does John help anyone with homework?
Answer
- My brother talks a lot.
- Our school is closed today.
- Your teacher walked on stage.
- Its leg needs to be repaired.
- They should ask their parents.
- No, she sprained her ankle last night.
- Yes, he helps his sister with her homework.
