Possessive Adjectives vs. Pronouns in English: Examples, Phrases & Practice Exercises

Possessive adjectives in English are first and foremost adjectives, that is, words that serve to add meaning to a noun.

We call them "possessive" because, as is easy to imagine, the type of meaning they add is linked to the possession of an object, a person or an animal by the noun in question.

Simply put, possessive adjectives indicate who a certain thing belongs to .

The same thing happens in Italian: let's look at some examples to better understand the role of these adjectives.

• My dog is veryshy around strangers.
• Are these your shoes ?
• Finally our day has come!

With these three simple examples alone, we can see a huge difference between possessive adjectives in English and those in Italian: the presence -or absence-of the article.

In Italian, we always add it, while in English, you should never put the article before the possessive adjective . Remember this difference because it's one of the most common mistakes made by those learning English for the first time!

My pen → My pen

That said, let's look at a complete table of possessive adjectives in English:

To better understand the difference between possessive adjectives and pronouns in English, let's also look at a few sentences with pronouns . This way, you'll be able to better distinguish the two different cases and use them accordingly in your English sentences!

1. Your car is there. This one is mine . → Your car is there. This one is mine.
2. His house is very big. Yours is smaller, but still comfortable.
3. I was with my boyfriend, Lucy with hers .
4. Don't forget the money! Yours are on the sofa.
5. Everyone has a goal . His is to become an actor.

What we can note from these sentences is that the "s" of the Saxon genitive is never added to pronouns, because it would clash with the "s" of the pronoun itself.

Hers 's → Hers

As you can see, they are very similar to adjectives: except for the first person singular which is completely different, all the others simply add an "s" to the end.

But be careful with the third-person singular masculine form, which remains unchanged given the impossibility of adding an "s": HIS can be both an adjective and a pronoun . How can you tell the difference?

Very simply, taking into account the context in which it is inserted and the presence (or absence) of a noun to support it.

Example :

• His name is John → His name is John. → adjective, because it is governed by the noun "Name".
• My jacket is blue, his is green. → My jacket is blue, his is green. → pronoun, because the noun that supports it is implied and expressed instead in the previous sentence, "jacket."

At this point, all that's left to do is look at some sentences with possessive adjectives in English : seeing them in context is very important to fully understand the correct way to use them and their respective meanings.

1. My brother told meabout your unfortunate encounter yesterday .
2. I saw her boyfriend with another girl!
3. Our dream is to get marriedin London.
4. Wow, your mobile screen is better than my TV! → Wow, your mobile screen is better than my TV!
5. I think his jacket is a little bit tight.
6. This is my dog . Its name is Polly.
7. For your information , I decided to go.

To better understand the difference between possessive adjectives and pronouns in English, let's also look at a few sentences with the pronouns . This way, you'll be able to better distinguish the two different cases and use them accordingly in your English sentences!

1. Your car is there. This one is mine . → Your car is there. This one is mine.
2. His house is very big. Yours is smaller, but still comfortable.
3. I was with my boyfriend, Lucy with hers .
4. Don't forget the money! Yours are on the sofa.
5. Everyone has a goal . His is to become an actor.

What we can note from these sentences is that the "s" of the Saxon genitive is never added to pronouns, because it would clash with the "s" of the pronoun itself.

Hers 's → Hers