Possessive adjectives
My, your, his, her, its, our, their: who something belongs to, and its or it's.
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A possessive adjective goes before a noun and says who the thing belongs to: my phone, her name, our flat. Each subject pronoun has its own possessive word.
The words
Subject | Possessive | Example |
|---|---|---|
I | my | my car |
you | your | your bag |
he | his | his brother |
she | her | her job |
it | its | its door |
we | our | our flat |
they | their | their parents |
- What's your name?
- Our office is on the third floor.
- Ravi and Nadia love their new house.
The same word for one thing and for many
The possessive word doesn't change for the noun after it. It is the same for one thing and for many, and for men, women and things.
- my son, my daughter, my children
- their car, their cars
- Incorrect: These are mys keys.
- Correct: These are my keys.My has no plural form.
His or her: look at the owner
His or her depends on the owner, not on the thing. If the owner is a man, use his. If the owner is a woman, use her.
- Anna is talking to her husband.
- Paul is visiting his mother.
- Incorrect: Anna is a teacher, and his husband is a doctor.
- Correct: Anna is a teacher, and her husband is a doctor.The husband is Anna's, and Anna is a woman, so the word is her.
- Incorrect: Paul is an engineer, and her wife is a pilot.
- Correct: Paul is an engineer, and his wife is a pilot.
Your own things and your body
When we talk about our own things, our family and our body, we usually use a possessive word. A singular noun like phone or face can't stand alone.
- I can't find my phone.
- She is washing her face.
- Please put your coat on the chair.
- Incorrect: I can't find phone.
- Correct: I can't find my phone.Phone is one thing that we can count, so it needs a word before it. For our own things, that word is usually my, your, his and so on.
- Incorrect: Every morning I wash face and hands.
- Correct: Every morning I wash my face and hands.
No article with my, your, his
Don't use a, an or the together with a possessive word.
- This is my friend Kemal.
- Her flat is very bright.
- Incorrect: This is the my car.
- Correct: This is my car.Use one word before the noun: the or my, not both.
Its or it's
Its (no apostrophe) means "belonging to it". It's is the short form of it is or it has.
Word | Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
its | belonging to it | The hotel is famous for its food. |
it's | it is, it has | It's a good hotel. |
- I like this café, but its coffee is expensive.
- It's cold today.
- Incorrect: The town is famous for it's old bridge.
- Correct: The town is famous for its old bridge.The bridge belongs to the town, so we write its with no apostrophe.
Your or you're, their or they're
Some words sound the same but are written in a different way. The possessive word never has an apostrophe.
- Is this your umbrella?
- You're right. (= You are right.)
- Their children are at school.
- They're at home. (= They are at home.)
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Related rules
Where this rule sits
All A1 rulesPronouns and determiners: all rules