English Grammar

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns show ownership. The possessive pronouns are yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, mine, whose.

• Is this bag yours?
• Yes, it's ours.
• Whose coat is this?
• It’s mine.

Possessive pronouns are used without following nouns.

• This coat is mine.
• Which coat is yours?

We do not use articles with possessive pronouns.

• Can I borrow your keys? I can’t find mine. (NOT I can’t find the mine.)

Note that the possessives my, your, his, her, its, our and their are determiners, not pronouns. Possessive determiners are used at the beginning of noun phrases.

• Have you seen my new coat?

Note the spelling of the possessive its. The contraction it’s is not a possessive: it means it is or it has.

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