English grammar: Possessive pronouns

What this grammar point covers

Possessive pronouns are words that show who owns or has something. They replace nouns to avoid repeating them.

When to use it

Use possessive pronouns in English to show that something belongs to someone, and to avoid repeating the noun. For example, use 'mine' instead of repeating 'my book'.

Key forms

• mine
• yours
• his
• hers
• its
• ours
• theirs

Examples

Tips

• Do not use a noun after a possessive pronoun. Say 'This is mine', not 'This is mine book.'
• Possessive pronouns are different from possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their).