Possessive pronouns show ownership or a close relationship without repeating a noun. In “Your seat is near the window, but mine is near the door,” the word mine replaces my seat.
The central rule is simple: a possessive determiner comes before a noun, while a possessive pronoun stands without that noun.
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Possessive determiners and pronouns
| Subject | Before a noun | Without the noun | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine | This is my desk. The desk is mine. |
| you | your | yours | Is that your coat? Is it yours? |
| he | his | his | His answer was different from mine. |
| she | her | hers | My ticket is valid, but hers has expired. |
| we | our | ours | The final decision is ours. |
| they | their | theirs | The blue bags are theirs. |
Modern standard English does not normally use a standalone possessive pronoun corresponding to its. In “The company changed its policy,” its is a determiner because it comes before policy. A sentence such as “The policy is its” is generally avoided; speakers name the owner or rewrite the sentence.
How possessive pronouns prevent repetition
Compare “I brought my charger, but Lena forgot Lena’s charger” with “I brought my charger, but Lena forgot hers.” The second version is shorter because the context already supplies the missing noun.
The listener must be able to identify that noun. If several objects are being discussed, repeating the noun may be clearer: “The red folder is Sam’s project folder,” not simply “The red one is his,” when his could refer to several things.
Possessive pronouns after of
English uses the pattern a noun + of + possessive pronoun to mean one member of a group or to describe a relationship:
“A friend of mine recommended this book.” The speaker has more than one friend; one of them made the recommendation. “That idea of yours could work” refers to an idea associated with the listener and can add emphasis.
Questions and short answers
A: Whose keys are these?
B: They’re mine.
A: Is this notebook yours too?
B: No, mine is black. This one might be hers.
Whose asks about possession. Do not confuse it with who’s, which is a contraction of who is or who has.
Common mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| This is mine book. | This is my book. | A noun follows, so use my. |
| The choice is her. | The choice is hers. | No noun follows, so use hers. |
| Is that your’s? | Is that yours? | Possessive pronouns do not take apostrophes. |
| The dog hurt it’s paw. | The dog hurt its paw. | It’s means it is or it has. |
| John and me’s project | John’s and my project | Use a possessive form for each owner when needed. |
Practice in context
Complete the conversation with my, mine, your, yours, her, hers, our, ours, their or theirs.
Nora: Is this ___ meeting room?
Alex: No, ___ is upstairs. I think this one is ___.
Nora: The design team?
Alex: Yes. ___ schedule is on the door. We should check ___ invitation again.
One natural answer is: our, ours, theirs, their, our. Notice that ours and theirs stand alone, while our and their introduce nouns.
A quick way to check your choice
Look at the next word. If the ownership word directly introduces a noun, choose a determiner such as my or their. If the noun has already been stated and the ownership word stands alone, choose mine or theirs. Then check that the owner is unambiguous.
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