Possessive pronouns are words used to show possession.
Read these sentences.
1) This is Linda's computer unit.
This is her computer.
This is hers.
2) This is Nikki and Sylvia's restaurant.
This is their restaurant.
This is theirs.
The words in italic face show ownership or possession. These are called possessive pronouns.
The first part of each sentence has the possessive nouns, Linda's and Nikki and Sylvia's.
The second part has the possessive pronouns/possessive adjectives, her and their.
The words Linda's, Nikki and Sylvia's, her, and their are followed by nouns referring to the thing they possess or own.
The third part has the possessive pronouns, hers and theirs.
Study the table that follows. It shows the different forms of possessive pronouns and their respective number and use.
| Person | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| modifies a noun (also called possessive adjectives) | used alone | modifies a noun (also called possessive adjectives) | used alone | |
| First | my | mine | our | ours |
| Second | your | yours | your | yours |
| Third | his, her, its | his, her, its | their | theirs |
The pronouns my, your, his, her, its, our, and their are used to show possession or ownership. They come before the noun they modify. They are also called possessive adjectives.
The pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, and theirs are used alone to show possession or ownership. They are not followed by a noun.
The possessive pronouns your and yours have the same singular and plural forms.
The pronoun its is used only before a noun.
Possessive pronouns should also agree with their antecedent in number, gender, and person.