Possessives

Possessive Pronouns

The correct British grammar account — distinguishing Possessive Adjectives from Possessive Pronouns, with full rules, examples, and explanations.

Reference: Nesfield · Wren & Martin · FowlerBoard: Cambridge & Oxford SyllabiTradition: Classical British School Grammar

1 Correct Classification2 Possessive Adjectives3 Possessive Pronouns4 Contrast & Difference5 Grammatical Functions6 its vs. it's7 whose vs. who's8 Key Rules9 Common Errors10 Self-Test

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Important Grammatical Distinction in British Grammar

Traditional British grammar makes a clear distinction between Possessive Adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) and Possessive Pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs). The former modify nouns and are therefore adjectives; only the latter truly substitute for nouns and are therefore pronouns. This is the classification followed by Nesfield, Wren & Martin, and all standard British examination syllabi.

01

The Correct Classification

In traditional British grammar, words expressing possession are divided into two separate word classes depending on how they function in a sentence. The key question is always: does the word stand before a noun, or does it stand alone in place of a noun?

WORD CLASS ONE

Possessive Adjective

Modifies a noun. Always placed before a noun. Answers the question "whose?" about a noun. Since it describes or qualifies a noun, it is classified as an adjective.

myyourhisheritsourtheir

These words CANNOT stand alone. They must always be followed by a noun. Example: my book ✓ — but my alone as a subject or object ✗

WORD CLASS TWO

Possessive Pronoun

Stands alone in place of a noun (or noun phrase). Does the job of a noun — it can be the subject or object of a verb. Since it substitutes for a noun, it is classified as a pronoun.

mineyourshishersitsourstheirs

These words CAN stand alone. They replace an entire noun phrase. Example: "This pen is mine." — mine stands alone as a complement, replacing "my pen".

The test to determine class: If the word is immediately followed by a noun → it is a Possessive Adjective. If the word stands alone with no noun following → it is a Possessive Pronoun. This single test resolves every case.

Person	Number	Gender	Possessive Adjective (+ noun)	Possessive Pronoun (alone)
1st	Singular	—	my	mine
2nd	Sing./Plural	—	your	yours
3rd	Singular	Masculine	his	his
3rd	Singular	Feminine	her	hers
3rd	Singular	Neuter	its	its
1st	Plural	—	our	ours
3rd	Plural	—	their	theirs

Note on identical forms: his and its have the same form for both the adjective and the pronoun. All other pairs differ: my → mine, your → yours, her → hers, our → ours, their → theirs. The form her's, your's, their's are incorrect — no possessive pronoun ever takes an apostrophe.

02

Possessive Adjectives — Full Explanation

A Possessive Adjective is a word that qualifies a noun by indicating to whom or what it belongs. It is placed before the noun it modifies and answers the question "whose?" It belongs to the class of adjectives because its primary function is to modify a noun, not to replace one.

Possessive adjectives are sometimes called pronominal adjectives in classical British grammar, because they are derived from pronouns but function as adjectives. In the tradition of Nesfield's English Grammar Past and Present and Wren & Martin's High School English Grammar — the standard texts for British-pattern grammar instruction — these are consistently classified as adjectives, not pronouns.

The Seven Possessive Adjectives

Adjective	Person	Refers to	Example sentence
my	1st singular	The speaker	I have finished my work.
your	2nd sing./pl.	The person(s) addressed	Have you collected your ticket?
his	3rd masc. sing.	A male person or animal	The barrister read his notes carefully.
her	3rd fem. sing.	A female person or animal	She submitted her dissertation on time.
its	3rd neuter sing.	A thing, animal, or institution	The committee published its report.
our	1st plural	The speaker and others	We missed our train to Edinburgh.
their	3rd plural	People or things previously named	The students revised their essays.

Why They Are Adjectives — Explained

Three grammatical facts confirm that these words are adjectives:

• 1They modify nouns. Every possessive adjective must be attached to a noun: my opinion, your coat, his decision, their plan. Just as the adjective "large" in "large house" describes the house, "my" in "my house" qualifies the house by telling us whose it is.
• 2They cannot stand alone as subject or object. You cannot say: "My is on the table." or "She gave my the book." — both are ungrammatical. A true pronoun can stand alone as subject or object; these cannot.
• 3They answer the adjectival question "whose?" In the sentence "his report", asking "whose report?" gives the answer "his" — functioning exactly as an adjective answers a descriptive question about a noun.

Possessive Adjectives with Different Noun Types

Concrete noun:She put on her coat and picked up her umbrella.

Abstract noun:He expressed his concern about the amendment.

Uncountable noun:Their advice was invaluable to the committee.

Plural noun:The children forgot their books at school.

Gerund (verbal noun):We appreciate your attending the hearing.

↳ Before a gerund (verbal noun), the possessive adjective is the correct form in formal British English.

Possessive Adjective vs. Personal Pronoun — Do Not Confuse

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE

Her speech was brilliant.
His report was accepted.
Their plan succeeded.
↳ Each word is followed by a noun (speech, report, plan).

PERSONAL PRONOUN (objective case)

The judge praised her.
I informed him.
We consulted them.
↳ Each word stands alone as the object of the verb — no noun follows.

Critical point: her, his, their can each be either a possessive adjective (before a noun) or a personal pronoun in the objective case (standing alone). The grammatical position in the sentence tells you which it is. In "I admire her courage" — possessive adjective. In "I admire her" — personal pronoun (object).

03

Possessive Pronouns — Full Explanation

A Possessive Pronoun is a pronoun that stands alone — without any following noun — to indicate ownership or belonging. It replaces an entire noun phrase and performs the functions of a noun: it can be the subject, object, or complement in a sentence. Because it substitutes for a noun (not merely modifies one), it is correctly classified as a pronoun.

The Possessive Pronouns

Pronoun	Person	Replaces	Example
mine	1st singular	my + noun	That pen is mine. (= my pen)
yours	2nd sing./pl.	your + noun	Is this bag yours? (= your bag)
his	3rd masc. sing.	his + noun	The red folder is his. (= his folder)
hers	3rd fem. sing.	her + noun	The achievement is hers. (= her achievement)
its	3rd neuter sing.	its + noun	The decision is its. (= its decision) [rare in use]
ours	1st plural	our + noun	The victory is ours. (= our victory)
theirs	3rd plural	their + noun	The mistake was theirs. (= their mistake)

Why They Are Pronouns — Explained

• 1They stand alone in place of a noun phrase. "Mine" replaces "my book/pen/idea" — the whole noun phrase. This is the defining feature of a pronoun: substituting for a noun.
• 2They perform noun functions. They can be subject ("Mine is ready"), object ("He borrowed mine"), or complement ("It is mine") — all functions of a noun, not an adjective.
• 3No noun follows them. Unlike possessive adjectives, they never precede a noun. "Mine book" or "yours report" are completely ungrammatical.

Possessive Pronouns as Subject

mine:Mine is the blue file on the left.

yours:Yours arrived yesterday; mine has not yet come.

hers:Hers was the clearest argument in the debate.

ours:Ours is a long and distinguished tradition.

theirs:Theirs is a complicated situation to resolve.

Possessive Pronouns as Subject Complement

This is the most frequent use — appearing after a linking verb such as is, was, are, were.

mine:That seat is mine.

yours:The final decision is yours.

his:The corner office was his before the reorganisation.

hers:The credit for this discovery is entirely hers.

ours:The championship is ours this season.

theirs:The responsibility was theirs alone.

Possessive Pronouns as Object

Direct object:I have found mine; she has lost hers.

Direct object:He submitted his essay; I must now submit mine.

Object of prep.:He is no enemy of mine.

Object of prep.:A colleague of hers confirmed the report.

Object of prep.:Through no fault of theirs, the project was delayed.

↳ "A friend of mine / a colleague of hers" is the double genitive — of + possessive pronoun. This is fully standard in British English.

04

The Contrast — Side by Side

The clearest way to see the distinction is to compare the same pair of words in two different positions. The meaning of ownership is identical; only the grammatical function differs.

Pair	Possessive Adjective (before noun)	Possessive Pronoun (stands alone)
my / mine	My coat is on the chair.	The coat on the chair is mine.
your / yours	Have you read your letter?	Have you read yours?
his / his	His argument was persuasive.	The persuasive argument was his.
her / hers	She lost her passport.	She lost hers.
its / its	The firm changed its policy.	[its — same form; rarely used independently]
our / ours	Our train leaves at six.	The six o'clock train is ours.
their / theirs	Their approach was flawed.	The flawed approach was theirs.

Pattern: Possessive pronouns (the independent standing forms) of 1st and 3rd person end in -ne or -s: mine, yours, hers, ours, theirs. This ending carries no apostrophe — it is the natural morphological form of these pronouns, not a possessive suffix.

05

Grammatical Functions Compared

Function	Possessive Adjective	Possessive Pronoun
Modifies a noun	✓ Always	✗ Never
Stands alone	✗ Never	✓ Always
Subject of verb	✗ my is ready — wrong	✓ Mine is ready.
Object of verb	✗ Take my. — wrong	✓ Take mine.
Subject complement	✗ It is my. — wrong	✓ It is mine.
Object of preposition	✗ a friend of my — wrong	✓ a friend of mine
Word class	Adjective	Pronoun

06

its vs. it's

This is the most frequently made error involving possessive forms in English writing. The confusion arises from the general rule that apostrophe + s signals possession in nouns (the dog's lead). But that rule applies to nouns only — never to pronouns. No pronoun, whether possessive adjective or possessive pronoun, ever takes an apostrophe to show possession.

its

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE · NO APOSTROPHE EVER

Belonging to it / of it

The possessive adjective for neuter gender (things, animals, institutions). It qualifies a noun by showing belonging. It contains no apostrophe, just as his and her contain no apostrophe.

The cat licked its paw.
The government published its report.
The machine has exceeded its capacity.
Britain is proud of its heritage.
The committee reached its verdict.

it's

CONTRACTION · APOSTROPHE MARKS OMISSION

= "it is" or "it has"

A contracted form of the verb phrases it is or it has. The apostrophe marks the letters that have been omitted. This is never a possessive form — it is always a shortened verb phrase.

It's (= It is) raining in London.
It's (= It is) a serious matter.
It's (= It has) been three weeks.
It's (= It has) taken longer than expected.
It's (= It is) important to respond promptly.

The Substitution Test — Always Reliable

Replace the word with "it is" or "it has". If the sentence still makes grammatical sense, use it's. If it does not make sense, use its.

Test 1:"The charity published ___ annual accounts."

Substitute:"The charity published it is annual accounts." → ✗ No sense.

Answer:Use its: "The charity published its annual accounts." ✓

Test 2:"___ a warm evening in Oxford."

Substitute:"It is a warm evening in Oxford." → ✓ Makes sense.

Answer:Use it's: "It's a warm evening in Oxford." ✓

Test 3:"___ been a long Parliament."

Substitute:"It has been a long Parliament." → ✓ Makes sense.

Answer:Use it's: "It's been a long Parliament." ✓

Test 4:"The Bill has outlived ___ purpose."

Substitute:"The Bill has outlived it is purpose." → ✗ No sense.

Answer:Use its: "The Bill has outlived its purpose." ✓

07

whose vs. who's

The same principle applies to this pair. Whose is the possessive form of who — functioning as either a possessive adjective (before a noun) or a possessive pronoun (standing alone). Who's is a contraction of who is or who has.

WHOSE — POSSESSIVE (adjective or pronoun)

Whose umbrella is this?[adj. — modifies "umbrella"]The MP whose speech was praised...[adj. — modifies "speech"]I do not know whose it is.[pronoun — stands alone]The building whose roof collapsed...[adj. — refers to thing]

WHO'S — CONTRACTION (who is / who has)

Who's (= Who is) responsible for this? The barrister who's (= who is) arguing... Who's (= Who has) read the judgement? The MP who's (= who has) resigned...

The test: Replace with "who is" or "who has". If it fits → who's. If not → whose. Example: "The judge whose / who's ruling was upheld." → "The judge who is ruling was upheld" — no sense. → Use whose: "The judge whose ruling was upheld."

08

Key Rules — British Grammar

• ADJ 1my, your, his, her, its, our, their are Possessive Adjectives. They must always be followed by a noun. They modify the noun by indicating ownership. They cannot function as subjects, objects, or complements on their own.
• PRO 1mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs are Possessive Pronouns. They always stand alone — no noun follows. They replace a full noun phrase and can be the subject, object, or complement of a sentence.
• GEN 1No possessive form — adjective or pronoun — ever takes an apostrophe. Not *my's, *your's, *her's, *their's, *it's (as possessive). The apostrophe in it's marks a contraction, not possession.
• GEN 2Pronoun agreement: Both possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns agree with the owner, not the thing owned. "The teacher marked her papers" — her refers to the teacher (owner), not to the papers.
• GEN 3his and its are the same form for both the adjective and the pronoun. All other pairs differ in form: my/mine, your/yours, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs.
• GEN 4The double genitive — of + possessive pronoun — is correct British English: "a friend of mine, a colleague of hers, a habit of his, a weakness of theirs."
• GEN 5Before a gerund (verbal noun), use the possessive adjective: "We appreciated your attending the meeting" — not "you attending". This is formal British usage.

09

Common Errors — Identified & Corrected

Error Type	Incorrect Form	Correct Form	Explanation
Apostrophe on possessive adjective	The dog wagged it's tail.	The dog wagged its tail.	its = possessive adjective; no apostrophe
Possessive adjective used alone	That pen is my.	That pen is mine.	Without a following noun, use the possessive pronoun
Possessive pronoun before noun	I finished mine work.	I finished my work.	Before a noun, use the possessive adjective
Apostrophe on possessive pronoun	The mistake was their's.	The mistake was theirs.	Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe
Non-existent form her's	The red pen is her's.	The red pen is hers.	her's does not exist; correct form is hers
Confusion: its (adj.) vs. it's (contr.)	Its been a long session.	It's been a long session.	Contraction of "it has" needs apostrophe → it's
Confusion: whose vs. who's	The MP who's bill was rejected...	The MP whose bill was rejected...	Possessive needed; who's = who is/has
Pronoun agrees with thing, not owner	The teacher corrected their essay. [meaning the teacher's own essay]	The teacher corrected her essay.	Adjective must agree with the owner (teacher = singular feminine)
Wrong apostrophe on your's	The choice is your's.	The choice is yours.	your's does not exist; possessive pronoun is yours
Using "you" instead of "your" before gerund	We appreciated you helping us. [formal writing]	We appreciated your helping us.	In formal British English, possessive adjective precedes a gerund

10

Self-Test —

Identify the correct form and state whether it is a possessive adjective or possessive pronoun.

Q1.The government has not yet published ___(its/ it's)annual report.

Q2.That briefcase belongs to me—(its/it's )___mine.

Q3.She submitted ___ (her/heres)dissertation before the deadline.

Q4.I have packed my bag; have you packed ___(your/yours)?

Q5.___(It's/Its) a matter of great importance to the Crown.

Q6.The victory belongs to the team—it is ___(theirs/their).

Q7.The solicitor ___(whose/who's)advice was followed has retired.

Q8.A friend of ___(my/mine) practises law in Kolkata.

Q9.We appreciate ___(your/yours)attending the inquiry in person.

Q10.___ (its/ it's) been the longest parliamentary session in a decade.

Key Rules

• Possessive Adjectives (Determiners)

my, your, his, her, its, our, their

They are followed by a noun.

Example: her dissertation, its annual report

• Possessive Pronouns

mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs

They stand alone and replace a noun.

Example: The briefcase is mine.

• its vs it's

its = possessive form of it

The company changed its policy.

it's = it is or it has

• It's raining. (= It is)
• It's been a long day. (= It has)

whose vs who's

whose = possessive

The author whose book won the prize.

who's = who is or who has

Who's coming?

A. Choose the Correct Word (10 Marks)

Choose the correct option from the brackets.

1. The committee has submitted ___ (its / it's) report.
2. This umbrella is ___ (my / mine).
3. She forgot to bring ___ (her / hers) passport.
4. Is this seat ___ (your / yours)?
5. ___ (Its / It's) been a difficult year for the company.
6. The decision was ___ (their / theirs).
7. The student ___ (whose / who's) project won the prize received a scholarship.
8. A cousin of ___ (my / mine) lives in London.
9. We appreciate ___ (your / yours) helping us.
10. The dog wagged ___ (its / it's) tail happily.

B. Identify the Type (10 Marks)

Underline the possessive word and write PA (Possessive Adjective) or PP (Possessive Pronoun).

1. Their house overlooks the river. ______
2. The blue bicycle is mine. ______
3. Her performance impressed everyone. ______
4. This seat is yours. ______
5. Our team won the match. ______
6. The victory was ours. ______
7. His car is parked outside. ______
8. The responsibility is theirs. ______
9. Its leaves turn yellow in autumn. ______
10. The final decision is hers. ______

C. Fill in the Blanks (5 Marks)

Use an appropriate possessive adjective or possessive pronoun.

1. I have done my work; have you completed ______?
2. Sarah has brought ______ notebook.
3. The red bag is not ours; it is ______.
4. The company revised ______ policies.
5. We invited our neighbours, and they invited ______.

D. Correct the Errors (5 Marks)

Rewrite the sentences correctly.

1. The cat licked it's paws.
2. This pen is her.
3. Whose going to lead the meeting?
4. A friend of my lives in Cardiff.
5. The award belongs to we.

Challenge Section

Rewrite using a possessive pronoun.

1. This is my book.                         Ans- This book is mine.
2. That is their responsibility.        Ans- That responsibility is theirs.
3. The victory belongs to us.         Ans- The victory is ours.
4. The laptop belongs to her.        Ans- The laptop is hers.
5. The decision belongs to them. Ans- The decision is theirs.

Answer Key

A.

1.  its
2.  mine
3.  her
4.  yours
5.  It's
6.  theirs
7.  whose
8.  mine
9.  your
10.  its

B.

1. Their – PA
2. mine – PP
3. Her – PA
4. yours – PP
5. Our – PA
6. ours – PP
7. His – PA
8. theirs – PP
9. Its – PA
10. hers – PP

C.

1. yours
2. her
3. theirs
4. its
5. us

D.

1. The cat licked its paws.  
2. This pen is hers.
3. Who's going to lead the meeting?
4. A friend of mine lives in Cardiff.
5. The award belongs to us.

Bonus Rule:

1. Possessive Adjective: my, your, his, her, its, our, their + noun
2. Possessive Pronoun: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs (stand alone)
3. its = possession; it's = it is / it has
4. whose = possession; who's = who is / who has