Possessive adjectives

1. What Are Possessive Adjectives?

Possessive adjectives are words we use to show who something belongs to. They come before a noun: my book, her bag.
Common possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our, their.

We often use them to answer questions with whose.
Pattern: Whose + noun + ... ?
Example: Whose book is this? — It’s my book.
Whose bag is that? — It’s her bag.

One common answer pattern is: It’s + possessive adjective + noun. Possessive adjectives can also be used in other sentences, for example: This is my book. I like my teacher.

When you use a possessive adjective, you are saying:

“This thing belongs to this person.”

Examples:

• my book → the book belongs to me
• her bag → the bag belongs to her

2. Where Do Possessive Adjectives Go in a Sentence?

Basic structure:

possessive adjective + noun

Examples:

• my book
• your bag
• his jacket

Important rule

• Possessive adjectives are used before a noun: my book, her bag.
• If there is no noun, we use a possessive pronoun: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.

3. Common Possessive Adjectives and How to Use Them

• my – something belongs to me
  • Example: This is my book.
• your – something belongs to you
  • Example: Is this your bag?
• his – belongs to a man/boy (a male owner)
  • Example: That is his jacket.
• her – something belongs to a woman / a girl (a female owner)
  • Example: This is her phone.
• its – something belongs to a thing or animal
  • Example: The dog is wagging its tail.

Note: its = belongs to it. it’s = it is.

• our – something belongs to us
  • Example: This is our house.
• their – something belongs to them
  • Example: Those are their shoes.

Important rule

We put the possessive adjective before the noun: my book, her bag.

4. Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns

If there is no noun, we usually use a possessive pronoun: This book is mine.

5. Recap (quick list)

Remember: possessive adjectives go before a noun; possessive pronouns are used without a noun.

Possessive adjectives (before a noun):

• my
• your
• his
• her
• its
• our
• their

Possessive pronouns (no noun):

• mine
• yours
• his
• hers
• ours
• theirs