Possessive Adjectives
Learn Possessive Adjectives in English and practice showing ownership clearly in everyday sentences.
Possessive adjectives show who a person, thing, or body part belongs to. They come before a noun. They do not stand alone. They help show ownership or relationship.
Each possessive adjective matches a subject pronoun. You choose the form from the subject, not from the thing. The noun after it can be singular or plural.
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| I | my |
| you | your |
| he | his |
| she | her |
| it | its |
| we | our |
| they | their |
A possessive adjective goes directly before a noun. It can be used with people, objects, places, and body parts. The form does not change with the noun.
| Rule |
|---|
| Use a possessive adjective before a noun ๐. |
| Do not use a possessive adjective without a noun ๐. |
| Keep the same form with singular and plural nouns ๐. |
The subject can be singular or plural. The possessive adjective follows the subject. The thing owned does not control the form.
| Rule |
|---|
| Use my, your, his, her, or its with singular subjects 1๏ธโฃ. |
| Use our with the plural subject we ๐ฅ. |
| Use their with the plural subject they ๐ฅ. |
Possessive adjectives can show family relationship, part of the body, or ownership of objects. They are used with many kinds of nouns. The grammar stays the same in each use.
| Word or Phrase | Definition |
|---|---|
| It can show relationship to a person. | |
| It can show that a thing belongs to someone. | |
| It can show that a body part belongs to a person or animal. |
Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns are different. A possessive adjective comes before a noun. A possessive pronoun replaces a noun phrase.
| Rule |
|---|
| Use a possessive adjective with a noun ๐งฉ. |
| Use a possessive pronoun instead of a noun phrase ๐. |
| Do not mix the two forms in the same job โ๏ธ. |
You can now use possessive adjectives to show who something belongs to. You can match each form to the correct subject pronoun. You can use them before singular and plural nouns with people, objects, and body parts.