Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (2024)

Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (1)

English Grammar Rules


Possessive pronouns are used in English to avoid repeating information that is already clear. In general it makes the sentence less confusing because the same information is not being repeated.

This book is my book, not your book. (Sounds repetitive)
This book is mine, not yours. (Mine and yours are possessive pronouns)

In the sentence, mine is a possessive pronoun that replaces my book.
In the sentence, yours is a possessive pronoun that replaces your book.

The possessive pronouns in English are as follows:

Subject Possessive
Pronouns
I Mine
You Yours
He His
She Hers
It --- *
We Ours
You (pl) Yours
They Theirs

* We avoid using the possessive pronoun ITS.

Examples:

  • I didn't have my umbrella so Marta lent me hers.
    (I didn't have my umbrella so Marta lent me her umbrella).
  • Her car is faster than mine.
    (Her car is faster than my car).
  • That food is ours and not theirs.
    (That food is our food and not their food).
  • I know this drink is yours but I need to drink something.
    (I know this drink is your drink but I need to drink something).

Remember that with possessive pronouns there are no apostrophes (').

Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (2)

Of yours

It is also very common to say a friend/some friends + of + possessive pronouns.

  • I saw one of your friends last night.
    I saw a friend of yours last night.

Both of these sentences are correct and both common in English.


Yours faithfully - Yours sincerely

Yours is also used in English with faithfully or sincerely at the end of a formal letter or e-mail. The two common expressions are:

  • Yours faithfully (If it someone that you don't know)
  • Yours sincerely (If it is someone that you know)


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Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (3)Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (4)Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (5)

Possessive Pronouns: Mine Yours Hers Ours Theirs (2024)

FAQs

What are the 10 examples of possessive pronouns? ›

The independent possessive pronouns are mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs. The possessive adjectives, also called possessive determiners, are my, our, your, his, her, its, and their.

What is possessive pronoun answer? ›

A possessive pronoun is a pronoun used to indicate indicate ownership (e.g., “This hat is mine”). The English possessive pronouns are mine, ours, yours, his, hers, theirs, and whose.

What is the possessive pronoun of ours? ›

Ours is a possessive pronoun used to indicate ownership of something by you and someone else. It's closely related to the possessive determiner “our.” However, while “our” is always used before a noun to indicate possession, ours is used in place of a noun.

What are the possessive pronouns my or mine? ›

possessive pronouns (mine, theirs)a2
Possessive adjectivePossessive pronoun
mymine
youryours
hishis
herhers
3 more rows

What are the 20 possessive pronouns? ›

What are Possessive Pronoun?
  • Singular: my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, his, its, zirs, xirs, vers, eirs, ters (only one owner)
  • Plural: our, ours, your, yours, their, theirs (more than one owner)

What are examples of 12 possessive pronouns? ›

Possessive Pronouns: Used in Sentences
  • The kids are yours and mine.
  • The house is theirs and its paint is flaking.
  • The money was really theirs for the taking.
  • We shall finally have what is rightfully ours.
  • Their mother gets along well with yours.
  • What's mine is yours, my friend.
  • The dog is mine.
  • The cat is yours.
Nov 6, 2020

What is an example of our and ours? ›

Since 'our's' does not exist, it is important to remember that 'ours' is the possessive form of 'our'. Additionally, people sometimes use 'ours' when they should be using 'our'. For example, instead of saying 'Ours is the best car', they would say 'Our is the best car'.

What is an example of a possessive pronoun her? ›

For example, the word hers is a possessive pronoun in the sentence Charlotte noticed that Seth's dog was bigger than hers. The word hers indicates that “Charlotte's dog” (the noun phrase being replaced by the word hers) belongs to Charlotte. Like possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns have other uses, too.

What is possessive pronoun examples sentences with answers? ›

Possessive pronouns are used to replace nouns or noun phrases while a possessive adjective defines its following noun and indicates ownership. Examples of possessive pronouns in a sentence: 1) The laptop on the table is his. 2) The palace on the corner is ours.

How to use mine in a sentence? ›

mine pronoun (BELONGING TO ME)

"Whose bag is this?" "It's mine." Your hair is longer than mine. She's a friend of mine.

How to use hers in a sentence? ›

pronoun
  1. a form of the possessive case of she used as a predicate adjective: The red umbrella is hers. Are you a friend of hers?
  2. that or those belonging to her: Hers is the biggest garden on the block. Hers are the yellow ones.

When to use hers and her's? ›

Hers is a third-person singular feminine possessive pronoun. “Her's,” written with an apostrophe, is sometimes mistakenly used instead of hers, but this is never correct. While possession is usually indicated by adding 's to the end of a word, possessive pronouns don't take an apostrophe.

What are possessive pronouns using yours? ›

Pronouns: possessive (my, mine, your, yours, etc.)
personal pronounpossessive determinerpossessive pronoun
Imymine
you (singular and plural)youryours
hehishis
sheherhers
4 more rows

What is a pronoun sentence with mine? ›

mine pronoun use

Mine is the first person singular possessive pronoun. A speaker or writer uses mine to refer to something that belongs or relates to himself or herself. Her right hand is inches from mine. That wasn't his fault, it was mine.

How do you identify a possessive pronoun in a sentence? ›

They are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours theirs. They can be used in place of a noun in a sentence. For example: “The largest chair is your chair.” Replace “your chair” with a pronoun and the sentence becomes, “The largest chair is yours.” NOT, “The largest chair is your.”

What is a good sentence for possessive pronoun? ›

5 Examples of Possessive Pronouns in Sentences

1. “The dog is mine.” The possessive pronoun “mine” replaces the phrase “my dog,” which would make the sentence repetitive. 2. “The donation was ours.” The possessive pronoun “ours” implies plural ownership of the donation.

What is an example of a possessive pronoun "its" in a sentence? ›

When to Use Its vs. It's | Examples, Meaning & Quiz
Examples: Its in a sentenceExamples: It's in a sentence
The dog chased its tail.It's almost two o'clock.
The article contradicted its own argument.It's best to do some research before deciding on a topic.
Jul 12, 2022

What are 10 sentences using indefinite pronouns? ›

Examples
  • Everyone is sleeping in my bed.
  • Someone is sleeping in my bed.
  • No one is sleeping in my bed.
  • I gave everything to Sally.
  • He saw something in the garden.
  • There is nothing to eat.
  • I looked everywhere for my keys.
  • Keith is looking for somewhere to live.

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