Possessive pronounsA2
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What They Express
Possessive pronouns replace a noun phrase that already appears in the context and avoid repeating it. Instead of saying Ana's car again, you can say hers if it is already known which car is being discussed. Their function is to retrieve a possession mentioned earlier, just as Personal Pronouns retrieve a referent without repeating its name. If you remove the possessive pronoun, the sentence loses that reference and requires repeating the complete noun.
Forms and Agreement
Long possessive pronouns agree with the thing possessed, not with the possessor. That is why we say mine, yours, his, hers; ours, yours, theirs. Gender and number change according to the noun they replace: the house is mine, the books are mine. These forms function like Possessive Adjectives, but here they replace the noun instead of accompanying it.
| Word | Definition | |
|---|---|---|
| Indicates that something belongs to the person speaking and highlights first-person possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to the person being spoken to and expresses second-person possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to him, her, you, them, or you all and marks broad and flexible possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to a group that includes the person speaking and points to first-person plural possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to a group that includes the person speaking and points to first-person plural possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to a group being spoken to and expresses second-person plural possession. | ||
| Indicates that something belongs to a group being spoken to and expresses second-person plural possession. | ||
| Is the feminine plural form of mine and is used when the thing possessed is feminine and plural. | ||
| Is a short form that accompanies a noun and agrees with one person being spoken to. | ||
| Is the masculine plural form of ours and agrees with a masculine plural noun. |
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Singular and Plural Possessor
The first- and second-person forms distinguish between one possessor and several possessors. Mine and yours indicate possession by one person: that phone is mine, the backpack is yours. Ours and yours indicate possession shared by several people: that apartment is ours, the ideas are yours. With theirs, the form does not change depending on whether there is one possessor or several, so the difference is understood from the context or from the clarity of the sentence.
| Idea | |
|---|---|
With Articles or Alone
Long possessive pronouns usually appear with an article before them: mine, yours, ours, theirs. That article is part of the normal expression and presents the omitted implicit noun. In colloquial speech, they can also appear without an article, especially in short answers or very direct style: Whose is it? Mine, Which ones do you want? Not yours, mine. Outside those uses, the form with an article is the usual and clearest one.
| Usage | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|
| They are used mainly with an article in front to present possession naturally. | ||
| Without an article, the form can sound more forceful or literary. | ||
| The article helps distinguish a concrete possession from another possible one. | ||
| In short answers, the bare form can sound more expressive and direct. |
Ambiguity of Theirs
Theirs can refer to him, her, you, them. That form covers several possible possessors and therefore sometimes creates ambiguity: The car is theirs does not by itself say whether it belongs to him, her, or you. When precision is needed, of + name is used to avoid doubts: Marta's car, your opinion, Javier's table. It also helps to support the sentence with a personal pronoun or with the immediate context, especially when several people are involved.
| Idea | |
|---|---|
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