Sign in
Pronouns and possessives, part 4 of 6
Possessive Pronouns: Mine, Yours, His, Hers, Ours, Theirs
They stand alone, with no noun after them, because they replace it: This bag is mine. With the noun, use my: my bag.
The idea
What a possessive pronoun is
It is the possessive that stands alone, instead of the noun. If the noun comes after, you do not use it.
- It replaces the noun. So you do not repeat it: My bag is black. Yours is red.
- Most of them add -s. Your, her, our, their: yours, hers, ours, theirs.
- My and his are different. My becomes mine; his stays the same: The idea is his.
When to use it
To say who owns something without repeating the noun: it is mine, yours is here, theirs is bigger. These expressions go with it:
To ask who owns it
- Is this yours?
- Whose is this?
- Which one is yours?
- Is it hers?
To answer
- It's mine.
- Not mine.
- It's ours.
- Take mine.
With of
- a friend of yours
- a cousin of hers
- a neighbor of ours
Examples
- What is yours
These keys are mine.
- Asking who owns it
Is this coat yours?
- Comparing
My car is old, and hers is new.
- Your group's
That table by the window is ours.
- Other people's
The blue house is theirs.
- A friend of yours
Luis is a friend of mine.
How to build it
3 steps
- Check if the noun comes afterIf it does, use my, your, her; if not, the pronoun:my bag / The bag is mine.
- Add -s (almost always)Your, her, our, and their add -s; my becomes mine; his stays the same:your: yours
- Put nothing after itNo noun and no apostrophe:This seat is hers.
At the end
- ThingThe red pen
- beis
- possessive pronounmine.
Instead of the noun
- Possessive pronounYours
- verblooks
- complementbetter.
From my to mine
See how each one changes
- herhers
- ourours
- theirtheirs
- my bagthe bag is mine
- my seatthe seat is mine
- his carthe car is his
- his ideathe idea is his
The rule
With the noun or alone
| With the noun | Alone | Owner |
|---|---|---|
| my bag | mine | the speaker |
| your bag | yours | the listener |
| his bag | his | a man |
| her bag | hers | a woman |
| our bag | ours | the speaker and others |
| their bag | theirs | other people |
How to pronounce it
mine
/maɪn/The i sounds like my: /aɪ/.
yours
/jɔrz/The final s buzzes: /z/.
hers
/hɝz/The vowel of bird and a buzzing s: /hɝz/.
ours
/aʊrz/Our plus a buzzing s.
theirs
/ðɛrz/Tongue between the teeth, then a buzzing s.
Check
Is this your jacket? Yes, it is (blank). Which word goes in the blank?
Don't confuse it with my, your, her
This is my seat.
My + noun
This seat is mine.
Mine, alone
My, your, and her go before the noun. Mine, yours, and hers stand alone, instead of the noun. Never both together.
Part 3: my, your, his, herIn real life
In speech, the possessive pronoun usually comes at the end and gets the stress, because it is the news: No, that one is MINE.
Frequently asked questions
Is its a possessive pronoun in English?
It is almost never used alone. Its goes before the noun (its tail); to say a thing belongs to an animal, change the sentence: The bone belongs to the dog.
Is it "a friend of me" or "a friend of mine"?
A friend of mine: after of comes the possessive pronoun. The same with the others: a cousin of hers, a neighbor of ours.
Do possessive pronouns have an apostrophe?
No. Yours, hers, ours, and theirs have no apostrophe: The choice is yours. Your's and her's are wrong.
How do you ask who owns something in English?
With whose: Whose is this phone? It's mine. Whose also goes before the noun: Whose phone is this?
In short
- They stand alone: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.
- With the noun after it, use my: my bag, but The bag is mine.
- Most add -s and none has an apostrophe: yours.
- After of, use the pronoun: a friend of mine.