Rules for Possesive Pronouns


As their names imply, possessive pronouns show ownership. The independent possessive pronouns are mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs. We break down each type and offer examples of their usage below.


Possessive pronouns are a type of possessive noun. Also called absolute possessive pronouns, possessive pronouns simplify constructions that show possession of a noun by replacing it—in other words, independent possessive pronouns must stand alone and be used without a noun. To understand how possessive pronouns can make things simpler and clearer, first take a look at this example of a sentence that does not use a possessive pronoun:

  • Juan’s peace lilies were healthier than my peace lilies.

It sounds repetitive and feels a little unnecessary to state “peace lilies” twice in this sentence. Rewriting with a possessive pronoun simplifies things:

  • Juan’s peace lilies were healthier than mine.

Examples:
  • My phone is dead. Pass me yours.
  • Did you know that Labrador is mine?
  • The house on the corner is theirs.
  • Tom is a good friend of mine.
  • The dress is beautiful, but it's hers.
  • What's mine is yours.
  • Do you like crisps? I'm personally not a fan of them.

As you can see, it is common to see independent possessive pronouns at the ends of clauses or phrases.

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