Possessive pronouns are used to show that something belongs to someone. They replace the noun and the possessive adjective, making sentences shorter and avoiding repetition.

Possessive pronouns always stand alone (do not use a noun after them).
They show ownership or possession.
They can refer to people, animals, or things.
The form depends on the subject (who owns the item).
Examples: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs

Examples

Subject Pronoun	Possessive Pronoun	Example Sentence
I	mine	The book is mine.
You	yours	Is this pen yours?
He	his	That jacket is his.
She	hers	The cookies are hers.
It	its	(rarely used) The cat cleaned its paws.	We	ours	The house is ours.
They	theirs	The bikes are theirs.

Note: “Its” is a possessive adjective, not a possessive pronoun, so it usually comes before a noun (e.g., its color). True possessive pronouns do not have an apostrophe.

Usage

Replace a possessive noun phrase

Instead of repeating a phrase with “my/mine,” “your/yours,” etc., use the possessive pronoun.
Example: That is my phone. → That phone is mine.

Answer questions about ownership:

Example: Whose bag is that? → It’s hers.

Stand alone after a verb or preposition:

Example: This chair is ours. / The red one is yours.

Common Mistakes

Do not add an apostrophe (’s) in possessive pronouns. (Incorrect: mine’s; Correct: mine)
Do not use them before nouns (that’s what possessive adjectives do).

Incorrect: *mine book
Correct: *my book
Correct: The book is mine.

Don’t confuse them with contractions (it’s = it is; its = possessive adjective)

Is it correct to write 'mine’s'?

Yes, but only in questions.

No, possessive pronouns do not use an apostrophe.

Yes, it shows possession.

Only in informal writing.

No, possessive pronouns do not use an apostrophe.

Possessive pronouns like mine, yours, his, hers, ours, and theirs never take an apostrophe.

What is the difference between 'its' and 'it’s'?

They are interchangeable.

'Its' shows possession; 'it’s' means 'it is' or 'it has'.

Both are possession forms.

'it’s' is possessive; 'its' is a contraction.

'Its' shows possession; 'it’s' means 'it is' or 'it has'.

'Its' is a possessive adjective; 'it’s' is a contraction of 'it is' or 'it has.' They are not interchangeable.

Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun:

This umbrella is not yours, it’s _ .
We don’t have a car. The car outside is _ .
His shoes are blue, but _ are red.
I lost my keys, but Anna found _ .
Those cookies aren’t mine; they are _ .

Answer Key:

mine
ours
hers
yours
theirs

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025