We use pronouns to replace nouns in a sentence. Look at the word “pronoun” itself; it contains the main function of this part of speech: “ substitute", that is " instead of a noun" Pronouns are used to diversify speech and not repeat the same word from sentence to sentence.

There are several types of pronouns in English: , and possessive. We have given each type of pronouns special attention in a separate article.

Let's see how a native speaker teacher Alex talks about words that show that someone owns something.

When we want to say that someone owns something, we use possessives. As you can see, Alex identified two forms: Possessive Adjectives And Possessive Pronouns.

Possessive adjectives

Let's start looking at possessive forms with possessive adjectives. Abroad these words are called Possessive Adjectives. Such words show a sign of an object, phenomenon or person, therefore they are classified as adjectives and not pronouns:

• My book. - My book. (what book? – mine)
• His friend. - His friend. (what friend? – his)

In Russian textbooks on English grammar it is written that my (your, his etc.) is a pronoun, but native English teachers insist that it is still an adjective, because it comes before a noun and defines it. Let's look at the sign:

My cat likes to play with a ball. – My the cat loves to play with the ball.

She wants to talk to your manager - She wants to talk to yours manager.

The teacher found his mistakes. - The teacher found his errors.

I like her dress. - I like her dress.

Our family likes to rest in Crimea, we adore its nature. – Our family loves to relax in Crimea, we adore his nature.

They look after our children. - They look after our children.

He is speaking with their mother - He's talking to their mom.

Please note: in all examples after my (his, their) goes a noun.

In the Russian language there is a universal word “svoy”, which we simply change according to numbers and persons. In English, the words “our”, “ours”, “ours” should be translated as “my”, “ours”, “his”/“hers”, respectively.

She cut mine finger. – She cut her finger.

I love my mom. – I love my mother

Do my work. – Do your work.

Possessive pronouns

If you need to replace a noun in a sentence, you must use one of possessive pronouns. Usually the noun is replaced so that there is no repetition in the sentence.

• This is not my pen, mine is purple. – This is not my pen, my purple one (replaced my pen on mine).

Becky! That is mine! - This my, Becky!

My task is easier than yours. - My task is easier than yours.

This is not his car, his is blue. - This is not his car. his– blue.

This is a friend of hers. - This her Friend.

It is not their house, theirs is bigger. - This is not their home their more.

The general rule for all possessive pronouns is that there is no need to use a noun after them, and, as a rule, it comes at the end of the sentence. And look at this couple: a friend of mine And my friend. Both phrases mean the same thing - my friend, only after a preposition of use possessive pronouns rather than adjectives ( a friend of mine).

Possessive pronouns in English- this is one of the topics that take place at the Beginner level. It's really quite simple, since you only need to remember about a dozen forms and words. English possessive pronouns are not inflected by case, as in Russian. Compare: my book, my book, my book - my book.

Possessive pronouns: forms

There are two forms: adjunctive and absolute. Pronouns in the connecting form are not used independently - only with a qualifying word: my book, our problems, her beauty. Pronouns in absolute form can be a full-fledged independent member of a sentence. It is not our problem. It is yours. - This is not our problem. This is yours.

First person possessive pronouns

In the singular: my - mine (mine - mine). Possessive pronouns of the first person plural: our - ours (ours - ours). The form mine can also be used with defined words: with those that begin with a vowel or with h, for example, mine heart, but such a phrase is outdated and can only be found when reading poetry collections.

My hairs are very long. - My hair is very long.

The world is mine. - This world is mine.

This dress is mine. - This dress is mine.

I like your dress. What do you think about mine? - I like your dress. How do you find mine?

Second person possessive pronouns

Singular pronouns: your - yours (yours - yours). Your cat has eaten all my sausage. - Your cat ate all my sausage. Make up your mind! - Come on, make up your mind! (here the possessive pronoun replaces definite article).

This cat is yours. - This cat is yours.

Second person plural possessive pronouns have the same forms as singular ones. For example: your (yours).

Third person possessive pronouns

In the singular: his - his (absolute form - his), her - her (hers), its - his, her, belonging to this.

That hut is his, and this one is hers. - This hut is his, and this one is hers.

A smile of hers can make me happy. “Her smile alone can make me happy.”

It is worth dwelling in more detail on the possessive pronoun Its. In Russian, any object has its own gender. A window is it, a spoon is she, a chair is he, but in English all these objects will be “it”. Therefore, the possessive pronoun Its is used in relation to all objects, animals and babies, if the gender of the animal or baby does not need to be particularly emphasized.

Every nation has its own special features. - Each nation has its own characteristics.

Its tail is like little bunch of hair, its ears are long. Who is it? - His tail is like a small tuft of wool, his ears are long. Who is this?

Third person possessive pronouns plural: their - theirs (theirs - theirs, belonging to them, in common parlance - theirs). In Russian, the absolute form “ikh” is used extremely rarely, which is due to its difficulty in pronunciation. As a rule, it is used only with a qualifying word.

Their friendship was amazing. - Their friendship was amazing.

From my childhood to theirs. - Things i saved for my daughters. - From my childhood to their childhood. - Things I saved for my daughters.

For ease of perception, all forms of possessive pronouns are given in the table.

As you can see, it is not the most difficult task to remember all the possessive pronouns. The English language is simpler in this part of grammar than Russian. Foreigners who decide to study our language will have to deal with more complex tables in which pronouns will change not only by person, but also by gender: for one English my in the Russian language there are four words - mine, mine, mine, mine.

Everyone knows and successfully uses the word my. When the word mine appears, things get more complicated. Unfortunately, not everyone understands the difference between my And mine. So that you understand and always clearly know which word to use, we have prepared an accessible and detailed explanation for you.

Let's start with examples. About your car you can say: “This is my car” or “This car is mine.” At first glance there is no difference, the meaning is the same. But not in English! Because in each of these sentences the word "my" translated differently. In the first sentence you use a possessive adjective, and in the second you use a possessive pronoun!

Possessive adjectives(Possessive Adjectives) and possessive pronouns(Possessive Pronouns) are used to indicate ownership and answer the question Whose?(Whose?)

Possessive Adjectives

The main function of any adjective (including possessive) is to describe a noun. The place of the adjective is before the noun. Therefore, possessive adjectives come before nouns and describe them:

This is my car. - This my car.

This is your file.- This is yours folder.

This is his desk. - This his table.

This is her chair - This her chair.

This is our flat. - This our apartment.

This is their camera - This their camera.

If another descriptive adjective refers to a noun, then the possessive comes before it in the sentence:

Kate is my best friend. - Kate - my best friend.

He is reading his new book. - He is reading my new book.

If there is a possessive adjective before a noun, then the article is never placed:

She took a her bag and left. - She took her bag and left.

The children are playing with a their new ball. - The children are playing with their new ball.

How to say "your" in English?

If you look closely at the examples above, you will notice that the word "mine" has different translations. As such, there is no word “own” in the English language. It is translated as one of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) depending on the subject of the sentence:

I will finish my report on Friday. - I'll finish mine report on Friday.

You should tidy your room every day. - You should clean up my room every day.

He visits his relatives in summer. - He visits their relatives in the summer.

She is proud of her son. - She's proud his son.

The dog is eating from its bowl. - The dog eats from his bowls.

We spent our holiday in the mountains. - We spent mine vacation in the mountains.

They let their children stay up late. - They allow his Children should not go to bed late.

Possessive adjectives are always used with nouns that indicate belonging to someone. items of clothing And members of the same family, and also body parts, personal belongings:

She was wearing her best dress yesterday. (NOT the best dress) - Yesterday she was in her best dress.

The boy washed his face and brushed his teeth. (NOT the face, the teeth) - The boy washed his face and brushed (his) teeth.

He loves his parents very much. (NOT the parents) - He loves his parents very much.

She keeps her books in the bookcase. (NOT the books) - She keeps her books in the bookcase.

Word "mine" not always translated into Russian, but in English the use of possessive adjectives Necessarily.

Next two rules will be useful for students of intermediate level and above. In some cases, with nouns denoting parts of the body, it is possible to use the definite article the rather than a possessive adjective:

1. When a noun does not refer to the subject, that is, the performer of the action (subject), and to the complement - to the one to whom the action is directed (object).

The woman patted the child on the head. - The woman stroked the child’s head.

Noun head refers to the object (the child), not the subject (the woman), so the definite article should be used the, not a possessive adjective.

2. When it comes to pain, damage or shock. In such sentences there are prepositions (in, on) combines with the following verbs:
hit- hit, hit
punch- hit with a fist
slap- clap, slap
bite- bite
pat- clap
sting- sting

An old man has a pain in the back.- The old man has a back pain.

A bee stung me in the arm. - A bee stung my hand.

Possessive adjective its.

The adjective its, which is used with inanimate objects (inanimate objects), can be replaced by of it:

This house is very expensive. I can't tell you its price.
or
I can't tell you the price of it.- This house is expensive. I can't tell you its price.

Please note that its and it's are not the same thing.

It's is a possessive adjective that refers to an inanimate object or animal.

I have got a cat. Its tail is long. - I have a cat. His tail is long.

It's is a shortened form of either it is, or from it has:

I have got a cat. It's a white cat. (It’s = it is) - I have a cat. This is a white cat.

I've got a cat. It's got a long tail. (It’s got = it has got) - I have a cat. The cat has a long tail.

Possessive Pronouns

Pronouns are used without a noun because the function of pronouns is to replace the noun. We use them to avoid repeating the noun over and over again. Possessive pronouns are usually found at the end of a sentence and are stressed:

This car is mine. - This car - my.

This file is yours. - This folder - yours.

This desk is his. - This table - his.

This chair is hers. - This chair - her.

This flat is ours. - This apartment - our.

This camera is theirs. - This camera - their.

Possessive pronouns can be at the beginning of a sentence and act as a noun, if the noun was indicated earlier and the interlocutors understand what is being said:

My book is on the desk. Yours is on the shelf. (yours = your book) - My book is on the table. Your (book) is on the shelf.

His sister studies at school. Hers works in an office. (hers = her sister) - His sister is studying at school. Her (sister) works in an office.

Our house is new. Theirs is older. (theirs = their house) - Our house is new. Their (house) is older.

Possessive pronoun forms for it does not exist.

The difference between “my friend” and “a friend of mine”.

Possessive pronouns are sometimes used with nouns and the preposition of. In particular in the expression “ a friend of mine/ his/ hers etc.”

Yesterday I met a friend of mine.
Max told us an anecdote about a friend of his.

There is little semantic difference between "my friend" And "a friend of mine".

"My friend" talking about a close friend. If you call a person “my friend,” then you have a warm, trusting relationship with him.

But, like everyone, there are people in your life with whom you maintain normal relationships, but cannot call them friends. These are your friends, acquaintances or “friends of friends.” "A friend of mine" implies that the person is not very close to you, familiar. He himself indicates that this is “one of” his friends, someone “undefined”.

This is my friend Bill. (“my friend” - before the name)
This is Bill, a friend of mine. (“a friend of mine” - after the name)

With the phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one funny fact. In English-speaking culture there is a concept "urban myth"(BrE) or "urban legend"(AmE). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event. We call such stories “tales” or “fiction”. These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified. Most of these stories (or “tales”) begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

That's all you need to know about possessive adjectives and pronouns. Visit our website often and make progress in learning English!

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Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Possessive pronouns and the possessive case in English. Possessive Pronouns and Possessive Case.

In this lesson we will look at another group English pronouns called possessives, as well as other ways of indicating ownership in English.

Possessive pronouns occupy special place in the classification of English pronouns. They indicate ownership and answer the question whose? (whose?) . The function of possessive pronouns is to determine the noun. Sometimes they are used in a special form and without nouns, but still indicate belonging to someone. For example:

It "s my house. - This is my house. (Whose?)
It "s mine. - This is mine (whose?)

I. Thus, English possessives have 2 forms:
- main (used before nouns)
- absolute (used independently)

Let's look at each form in more detail.

1. Basic form possessive pronouns:

my /mai/ - mine
your /jɔ:/ - yours/yours
his /hiz/ - him
her /hз:/ - her
our /"auə/ - ours
their /ðзə/ - theirs

Possessive pronouns in their basic form are used before nouns as a determiner, thereby eliminating the need for an article. Also sometimes, to distinguish them from the absolute form, they are called " possessive adjectives". In many English sentences, depending on the context, these pronouns can be translated as “yours”. Here are some examples of the use of basic possessive pronouns:

Jane is her sister. - Jane is her sister.
It "s raining outside. Take your umbrella. - It is raining outside. Take your/your (your) umbrella.
Please, meet my husband. - Please meet my husband.
Their son is so rude. - Their son is such a rude person.
The mouse is carrying its cheese. - The mouse is carrying her (his) cheese.

Quite often the basic form of possessive pronouns is confused with personal pronouns in the objective case (my -me, your - you, his - him, etc.) However, the difference is that personal object pronouns correspond to the accusative (who? what?) or dative case(to whom? to what?), and possessives - to the special possessive case (whose?), which is absent in Russian. Below is a table of personal and possessive pronouns for comparison, as well as examples of use:

Tell me (OM*) more about your (PM*) studies. - Tell me more about your (your) studies.
Give me (OM) my (PM) coat. I "m leaving. - Give me my cloak. I'm leaving.
The food in their shop is always fresh. - The food in their store is always fresh.
Look at them! They think it's funny. - Look at them! They think it's funny.
Let her play! It"s her turn. - Let her play! Her turn.

From the examples it is clear that even with external similarity, and sometimes complete coincidence in spelling, the objective and possessive cases differ in meaning. The possessive case always implies ownership (my coat - my cloak, her turn - her turn, etc.)

* OM=objective pronoun, PM=possessive pronoun.

Possessive pronouns in their base form are often used in English proverbs. So for example:

The cobbler should stick to his last. - The shoemaker needs to hold on to his last./ The wolf’s feet feed him.
My house is my castle. - My home is my fortress.
Stretch your arm no further than your sleeve will reach. - Extend your arm along the length of your sleeve./ Live not the way you want, but the way you can.
You cannot judge a tree by its bark. - You can’t judge a tree by its bark./ Appearances are deceiving.
You made your bed, now lie in it. - Just as you made your bed, lie down in it./ You made the porridge yourself, so you can dissolve it yourself.

2. Absolute form possessive pronouns:

mine /main/ - mine
yours /jɔ:z/ - yours/yours
his /hiz/ - him
hers /hз:z/ - her
its /its/ - his/her (inanimate)
ours /"auəz/ - ours
theirs /ðzəz/ - theirs

Absolute possessive pronouns are also called “independent” because, unlike basic ones, they are used in sentences no nouns. For example:

Is that his car? -No, it's mine. - Is that his car? - No, it's mine.

The functions of possessive pronouns of the absolute form are varied. In sentences they can act as subject, object or nominal part of the predicate. For example:

I don"t like the food in this restaurant. Ours is much better. - I don’t like the food in this restaurant. Ours is much better. (subject)
Liza's hair is much longer than mine. - Lisa's hair is much longer than mine. (addition)
Whose is this dog? - It "s theirs. - Whose dog is this? - Theirs. (nominal part of the predicate)

Sometimes you can find the absolute form of possessive pronouns in folk wisdom For example in the statements:

Roll my log and I will roll yours. / Scratch my back and I "ll scratch yours. - Roll my log, and I’ll rock yours. / Scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours. / You - to me, I - to you.

II. Besides possessive pronouns, there is another way to express possessive case(Possessive case) in English: using an apostrophe (") and the letter "s" at the end of the word to indicate the owner. For example:

This is Richard's office. - This is Richard's office.
Lena is Natalia's daughter. - Lena is Natalia's daughter.
Spring is Sean's favorite season. - Spring is Sean's favorite time of year.

To make it more possessive, you can also use the preposition "of", but this will sound a little clumsy in relation to people. But regarding the accessories of inanimate things or animals, this best choice. For example:

This is the office of Richard./ Lena is the daughter of Natalia./ Spring is the favorite season of Sean. (not entirely correct)
This is the beginning of the story. (correct) - This is the beginning of the story.
The windows of this room are shut. (correct) - The windows of this room are closed.

The possessive "s can also be used when talking about organizations or a group of people. The preposition "of" can also be used in this case. For example:

The company's success depends on its staff. = The success of the company depends on its staff. - The success of a company depends on its staff.
The government's decision is to sign a treaty. = The decision of the government is to sign a expense. - The government's decision is to sign the agreement.

There are cases when nouns in the possessive case are already ends with the letter "s", then at the end of the word is added only apostrophe ("). For example:

The Browns" children are well-behaved. - The Browns' children know how to behave well.
My brothers" rooms are always messy. - My brothers' rooms are always a mess.

Possessive nouns, like pronouns, can sometimes be used in absolute form. For example:

I don't like Tom's garden but I like Ann's. - I don’t like Tom’s garden, but I like Ann.

As a result, it should be noted that the possessive case has been used in English for a long time, as evidenced by national folklore. Yes, in many English proverbs"s is used to express possessiveness:

Beauty lies in lover's eyes. - Beauty lies in the eyes of a lover.
Calamity is man"s true touchstone. - Woe - best way checking a person./ A person is known to be in trouble.
As plain as the nose on a man's face. - As obvious as the nose on a man's face. / Clear as day.
Children are poor men's riches. - Children are the wealth of the poor.

So we looked at one more large group English pronouns, along with the features of the possessive case. Read sayings, repeat pronouns, and put theory into practice. This will bring good results.

We use possessive pronouns in our speech every day. This is my cat, their dog, her portion of ice cream, his briefcase, their daughter... We will see pronouns in almost every sentence. Since the theory on this topic has already been studied, today we will proceed directly to practice to consolidate the acquired knowledge. Remember: when studying possessive pronouns in English, exercises will help you remember the theory much more effectively than even a hundred repetitions. So let's get straight to the point! They're waiting for us interesting tasks, which will be easy enough even for children.

Exercises on possessive pronouns are relatively easy. And if you first repeat the basic subtleties of translation, then working on the tasks will be very easy. So, for your attention, tables with possessive pronouns that will put all the features of translation on the shelves.

First form of possessive pronouns

Second form of possessive pronouns

As you already know, despite the fact that possessive pronouns (Possessive Pronouns) have two forms, they all answer the same question => whose? That is Whose? Whose? Whose? Whose? At the same time, we would like to remind you that the absolute form of possessive pronouns differs from the first (attributive) both in spelling and in role in the sentence: nouns do not follow the absolute form, they are missing.

Examples:

That is his cup => This is his cup (possessive pronoun in attributive form his+ noun cup)

But! That cup is mine=> This cup is mine (possessive pronoun in absolute form mine, after which there is no need to put a noun).

So, when we have repeated the theory, we can safely begin the exercises. Now you can test your knowledge in practice. Forward!

Exercise 1. (possessive pronouns)

Correctly place the possessive pronouns, choosing from those proposed in the attributive form (my, his, her, its, our, your, their):

my his her our them

Book but she denied to return it to him.

I saw that picture in

his our its her their

House but don’t remember whether it was her property or just a gift.

I forgot my glasses in

your my their her our

Car. Probably they will return it to me tomorrow.

The teacher was listening to

my their your our its

Answer quite patiently but it was really silly one.

His It's Your Her

Jacket I found in

her his my their our

My Your His Our Their

Parents were absent while

his my their your our

Were at school.

Pay attention! In these sentences, the possessive pronouns can be swapped. For example, in the last sentence, the Possessive Pronouns can be swapped without affecting the context. But, for example, in the third sentence there will be only one choice, since there is an identifier word they.

We continue to use possessive pronouns

Exercise 2. (possessive pronouns)

Write correct option from those presented in brackets:

My grandfather has a cat. color is warm red.

She saw dress washing in washing machine. The dress in washing machine was (her, hers, its).

I saw him wearing best shirt It suits him so much!

cat sleeps when it has done all insidious things.

They live in a big city. city ​​is so nice I would like to visit it this summer!

I like dress more than .

I have a rabbit. The rabbit is .

plane is a luxury one as well as pleasure boat

My sister has a doll. doll is very expensive.

Her brother is very naughty. Only trousers costs 5 times more than my the most expensive dress!

Exercise 3. (possessive pronouns)

Place the pronouns correctly in attributive and absolute form:

I have a dress. The dress is.

Dress is very nice.

Her friend has a new lipstick. The new lipstick is .

Lipstick is of dark wine color.

This shirt is.

Shirt is from the newest collection.

The business is