Possessive pronouns show ownership or belonging. In English, they replace a noun phrase to indicate who something belongs to. They are different from possessive adjectives, which come before a noun. Possessive pronouns usually stand alone in a sentence.

The main possessive pronouns in English are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. These forms do not change for singular or plural nouns. Each form matches the owner, not the thing owned. The choice depends on whose possession is being described.

Word/Phrase	Definition
mine	Mine means that something belongs to me.
yours	Yours means that something belongs to you.
his	His means that something belongs to him.
hers	Hers means that something belongs to her.
its	Its means that something belongs to it.
ours	Ours means that something belongs to us.
theirs	Theirs means that something belongs to them.

Possessive pronouns replace a noun phrase and usually appear after a verb or preposition. They do not take an additional noun after them. In a sentence, they identify the owner without repeating the noun. This keeps sentences clear and avoids repetition.

Rule
A possessive pronoun replaces a noun phrase showing possession.
A possessive pronoun does not come directly before a noun.
A possessive pronoun matches the owner, not the object.

Possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives have different roles. Possessive adjectives come before a noun and describe whose noun it is. Possessive pronouns stand alone and do not take a noun after them. Using the correct form depends on whether the noun is included.

Rule
Use a possessive adjective before a noun.
Use a possessive pronoun when the noun is not repeated.
Do not combine a possessive pronoun with a noun.

English possessive pronouns are mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, and theirs. They show ownership and replace a noun phrase in a sentence. They do not take a noun after them. Choosing the correct form depends on the owner being referred to.