Review: Pronouns & Possessives
Review when to use my/your and when to use mine/yours to talk about possession clearly.
- check_circleI can correctly use possessive adjectives like 'my' and 'your'.
- check_circleI can correctly use absolute possessive pronouns like 'mine' and 'yours'.
Discover
Meet today's English in a real situation — no rules yet. Read it once and try to guess the pattern in the words in bold. Underlined words open a short definition.
A dialogue between two roommates cleaning up their apartment.
Alex: Wow, this living room is a mess. Is this jacket yours?
Sam: No, that’s not mine. I think it’s Sarah’s. She left her jacket here yesterday.
Alex: Okay, I’ll put it in the closet. What about these sneakers? Are they yours?
Sam: Yes, those are mine! Thanks. I was looking for them. Is this notebook yours or mine?
Alex: Let me see… It has a blue cover. That one is yours. My notebook is black.
Sam: You’re right. Oh, look! I found a charger. Is it ours?
Alex: No, we lost ours last week. That must be the landlord’s. Let’s return it to him; the charger is his. We shouldn’t keep things that aren’t ours.
Learn
Now the rules behind what you just saw — explained simply, with examples. Underlined words open a short definition — hover on desktop, tap on a phone.
In English, there are two ways to show that something belongs to someone: Possessive Adjectives and Absolute Possessive Pronouns.
1. Possessive Adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their)
We use a possessive adjective before a noun. It tells us who the noun belongs to.
- This is my phone.
- Where are your keys?
- We parked our car outside.
2. Absolute Possessive Pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs)
We use an absolute possessive pronoun instead of a noun. We use it when it’s already clear what object we are talking about, so we don’t need to repeat the word.
- This phone is mine. (Instead of “my phone”)
- Are these keys yours? (Instead of “your keys”)
- The blue car is ours. (Instead of “our car”)
Notice that most absolute possessive pronouns end in -s (yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), except for mine.
Common Mistakes
Spanish speakers often confuse the two or add extra words.
Don’t use an article (the) before possessive pronouns.
- ❌ The book is the mine.
- ✅ The book is mine.
Don’t use a possessive pronoun before a noun.
- ❌ This is mine book.
- ✅ This is my book.
Vocabulary In Context
Sometimes people argue over what belongs to whom. You might have a dispute when you share things. Make sure to always label your belongings at work!
- Adjectives (before noun): my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Example: “It is my turn.”
- Pronouns (instead of noun): mine, yours, his, hers, -, ours, theirs. Example: “It is mine.”
- Never put “the” before a possessive pronoun!
- We don’t usually use “its” as an absolute possessive pronoun.
Practice
Try it yourself. You'll see right away whether you got it right, plus a short explanation of why.
Use It
Now make the language yours in a real task. Use the prompt below — the editor keeps a simple word count, and nothing is saved or graded.
Before you finish — be honest. Can you do these now?