Possessive Pronouns and Determiners in English Grammar

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Introduction

Possessive pronouns indicate possession or belonging. There are two kinds of possessive pronouns in English grammar. Possessive determiners, also called possessive adjectives (my/your etc.), come before a noun, whereas, possessive pronouns (mine/yours etc.) replace a noun.

Learn the difference between possessive determiners and possessive pronouns in English grammar and get tips on when to use them. Practise using the grammar rules in the interactive exercises.

Example

My name’s Polly and I’m looking for my hat. My dad says there’s one in the wardrobe, but it’s his, not mine. My mum has also got a hat. Look! The dog’s wearing hers.

Table of English Possessive Pronouns and Determiners

Possessive determiners accompany a noun (the thing being possessed), possessive pronouns replace it. The chart below shows an overview of possessive pronouns and determiners in singular and plural.

Singular Plural
1st person 2nd person 3rd person 1st person 2nd person 3rd person
Determiner my your his her its our your their
Pronoun mine yours his hers its ours yours theirs

Usage

We use possessive determiners with nouns to indicate possession. Determiners come before a noun.

Example:
My name is Polly and I am looking for my hat.

Possessive pronouns replace previously mentioned nouns. Pronouns are used alone, without a noun.

Example:
My dad says there is one in the wardrobe, but it’s his, not mine.
My mum has also got a hat. Look! The dog is wearing hers.