Possessive adjectives in English for children. Possessive pronouns in English

Engineering systems 10.10.2019

Engineering systems

They are qualitative, relative, and possessive. The first ones express the qualities of the object: tall, thin, wide, large, slow, red, etc. The category of qualitative ones includes those denoting color, shape, character traits, physical and spatio-temporal signs of the word being defined. As a rule, qualitative adjectives have several, thanks to which they can be distinguished from adjectives of other categories.

In Russian textbooks on the English language, there is also some confusion about what are considered possessive adjectives (posessive adjectives), since they are traditionally studied in the topic possessive pronouns, thus distinguishing between the relative and absolute forms of pronouns. However, there is no such classification in British English, only possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives shown in the table below.

Possessive adjectives		Possessive pronouns

English possessive adjectives are thus often referred to as a relative form, however, in fact, such a category does not exist. This is done for ease of study. English grammar, because in Russian these words are really pronouns.

Adjectives in in this case easy to distinguish, since they always require a noun after themselves (that is, my pen, his coat), while pronouns are used in grammatical construction such as this pencil is mine, that coat is his (that is, they are not followed by a noun) ... Possessive adjectives in both languages are a topic with a lot of nuances to consider, so it's best to study it thoroughly.

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. You can say about your car, "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 language! Because in each of these sentences the word "my" translated in different ways. 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 a question Whose?(Whose?)

Personal pronouns Personal pronouns	Possessive adjectives Possessive Adjectives	Possessive pronouns Possessive pronouns
I	my	mine
You	your	yours
He	his	his
She	her	hers
It	its	-
We	our	ours
You	your	yours
They	their	theirs

Possessive Adjectives

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

This is my car. - This my car.

This is your file.- This 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 there is another descriptive adjective related to the noun, then the possessive is in front of it in the sentence:

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

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

If there is a possessive adjective in front of 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. - Children play with their new ball.

How do you 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 translates into one of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) depending on the subject in the sentence:

I will finish my report on Friday. - I will 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 is proud to their 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 to their children stay up late.

Possessive adjectives are always used with nouns that denote belonging to someone garments and members of the same family, as well as 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 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 a bookcase.

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

The following two rules useful for intermediate learners and above. In some cases, with nouns denoting body parts, it is possible to use the definite article the, rather than the possessive adjective:

1. When the noun refers not to the subject, that is, the performer of the action (subject), and the complement - to the one at 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 you should use definite article the rather than a possessive adjective.

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

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

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

Possessive adjective its.

The adjective its 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 the price.

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

Its 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. Its tail is long.

It’s is an abbreviated 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 a noun. We use them to avoid repetition of a noun. 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, in the event that the noun was indicated earlier and the interlocutors understand what it is about:

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 goes to school. Her (sister) is an office worker.

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.

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 a small 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 and trusting relationship with him.

But, like everyone else, there are people in your life with whom you maintain normal relations, but you 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. Itself indicates that this is "one of" 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" one fun fact is associated. In English-speaking culture, there is a concept "Urban myth"(BrE) or Urban legend(AmE). This is a story, as a rule, with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event. We call such stories "tales" or "fictions." 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 acquaintances ...).

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

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Every personal pronoun in English corresponds to a certain possessive pronoun - Possesive pronoun which answers the question Whose? / Whose? English possessive pronouns do not have gender and number, this means that their form is unchanged and does not depend on the noun or other part of speech to which the given pronoun belongs:

Difference between English and French possessive adjectives

When you need to express that a noun belongs to a person or thing, you use possessive adjectives. Possessive qualifiers basically tell you to whom or to which particular object it belongs. The choice of which possessive adjective in English depends on the gender of the owner and whether there is. is one or more owners. The possessive adjective does not change to indicate that the item belonging to it is plural or singular.

my dog - my dog;
my dogs - my dogs.

The possessive pronoun my does not respond to a change in the number of a noun.

my granny - my grandmother;
my father is my dad.

The possessive pronoun my does not respond to a change in the gender of a noun. All other possessive pronouns behave in a similar way.

In short, in English, the basis is the owner of the object. On the French significantly more possessive adjectives compared to English. App devotees need to agree on the gender and quantity of the noun they are describing.

The choice of possessive adjective to use does not depend on the gender of the owner or the number of owners. Instead, it all depends on the gender and quantity of the item being described. This is where it gets very difficult for English speakers because it is mostly the other way around. But don't worry, we'll make it as easy as possible for you. So the gender of the wearer doesn't matter, but the gender clause that is referenced is what matters.

In English there is two types of possessive pronouns.

The dependent form is the Сonjoint form.

The dependent form of possessive pronouns is always used only before nouns. You cannot use it separately! Such pronouns replace the article.

Absolute form- Absolute

The absolute form of possessive pronouns is always used without a subsequent noun - independently.

Note that the possessive adjective changes depending on the gender of the noun. The same possessive qualifier was used regardless of who owns it, regardless of whether the wearer is male or female.

Another important thing to know about French possessive adjectives is that the first letter of the object or noun it refers to also has a meaning. Here is a small table illustrating the points previously mentioned.

A step-by-step guide to possessive adjectives

Here's a quick and easy one step by step guide to help you choose the correct possessive adjective when speaking. Step 1: Choose a subject-based possessive adjective. From the rest of the options based on the choices you made in step 1, choose a possessive adjective based on gender and quantity of the object you are talking about. For example, you are talking about your dog. What your gender does not matter.

Possessive adjectives "agree" not with the owner of the item used in the sentence, but with the item itself.

Table of possessive pronouns in English.

This is my sweater. - This sweater is mine.

This is my sweater. This sweater is mine.

Where is your dog? - Mine is here.

Where is your dog. - Mine is here.

My room is messy, but hers is a wonderful room.

My room is a mess, and hers is beautiful!

Note the use of absolute possessive pronouns in the examples. They are not followed by a noun, unlike the dependent form:

In French, possessive adjectives are not used to denote body parts. If you still find it difficult to wrap your brain around this object, make it a habit to keep practicing. and familiarization with French rules. Trust me, this is not as difficult as you think.

It is a natural progression where your student is comfortable with creating basic sentences and is confident. Let's start with a quick introduction on where possessive adjectives appear in basic sentences and relate those sentences to clear and simple images.

Absolute possessive pronouns. Absolute possessive pronouns.

Possessive pronouns in their absolute form are often used in the composition of-constructions:

a brother of mine - my brother;
a cousin of hers - her cousin.

Mr. Black is a good business partner of theirs. “Mr. Black is their good business partner.

Russian possessive pronoun mine is translated into English either by one of the possessive pronouns, or by a phrase with own.

The student then has the ability to create simple sentences using mine, him and her. We then introduce the possessive adjectives of ours and theirs. This lesson then continues with some looser practice using gap and sentence correction. This is probably the first time your student has experienced this concept, so we make a special explanation of the concept.

Articles before adjectives

We conclude the lesson with more free practice and short review possessive adjectives. Think of some easy vocabulary lessons as a break for your student between lessons. We'll start by using your student's knowledge of possessive adjectives to introduce the concept of possessive nouns.

Molly is in her office. - Molly in her office.

Collocation with own we will use when we want to emphasize a meaning of our own:

my own business is my own business, a business that belongs to me.

In a phrase with own, you must use the preposition of if the construction comes after a noun:

"Own" in English

We then take time to introduce the apostrophe and how it is used with the noun to express possession. We recommend strengthening these concepts before moving on. The lesson continues with exercises that cover every angle of possessive nouns.

Difference between "my friend" and "a friend of mine"

These concepts are challenging for beginners. It is not possible to get all the concepts in one session, so we recommend going back to our possessive nouns and adjectives for the lessons of the periodic reinforcement plans. You should write this mine, with an apostrophe.

my own flat - a flat of my own

Dictionary. Possessive pronouns and adjectives

But why is his face - without the apostrophe - wrong? Imagine a question. Whose coat is this? This is my coat. This is the short form. The idea of possession in the possessive adjective is mine. It's mine. Mine is a possessive pronoun, and here it means my coat.

It works like an answer because the idea of "possession" and "coat" is contained in the word "mine." The word "this" does not contain the idea of ownership in the phrase "mine." But let's pretend for a moment that your dog has a coat - this is quite common in some cold countries, and you are asked the same question.

In Russian textbooks on the English language, there is also some confusion about what to consider as possessive adjectives, since they are traditionally studied in the subject of possessive pronouns, thus distinguishing between the relative and absolute forms of pronouns. However, there is no such classification in British English, there are only possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives shown in the table below.

Possessive Adjectives. Features of the use of possessive adjectives

This is a dog's coat. This is a dog. Remember this short form... The idea of possession in the possessive adjective is dog. Its it. So it is a possessive pronoun, and here it means dog's coat. It is not an abbreviation - it does not mean that it is. But most native English speakers would probably feel uncomfortable saying it was his - and would rather say it's dog instead.

Words like mine are possessive pronouns, and they are never written in apostrophes. We use them to say that something belongs to someone. Here is a table to help you. Of course, when we want to talk about possession without using adjectives or pronouns, we need to use the possessive "with apostrophe" like this: This is Peter's coat. This is a football dressing room. This is a dog ball. This is a box lid.

Possessive adjectives		Possessive pronouns

English possessive adjectives are thus often referred to as a relative form, however, in fact, such a category does not exist. This is done for the convenience of learning English grammar, since in Russian these words are really pronouns.

Possessive adjective its

But if we replace nouns with pronouns, we lose the apostrophe. This coat of Peter - this is his football dressing room - this is their dog. This is a dog ball - this is its cap. This is the lid of the box - this is his. But remember, we don't usually say that it is.

What is a Possessive Adjective?

This is my answer to your question, Julia. Possessive adjective: Possessive adjectives are modifiers that demonstrate possession of a noun. A possessive adjective is a modifier. Possessive adjectives modify nouns, and the way they modify nouns is to show them ownership.

Adjectives in this case are easy to distinguish, since they always require a noun after themselves (that is, my pen, his coat), while pronouns are used in grammatical structures such as this pencil is mine, that coat is his (that is, behind them not followed by a noun). Possessive adjectives in both languages are a topic with a lot of nuances to consider, so it's best to study it thoroughly.

Attractive examples of an adjective. The possessive adjectives here alter the nouns coffee and drink, demonstrating ownership of them. Possessive adjectives are similar in form, but they cannot stand alone in a sentence.

An example of using the possessive pronoun of an adjective.

He borrows the family.
He borrows ours.

The possessive adjective "our" replaces the noun "family" to indicate ownership of the vehicle. As you can see, the possessive adjective "our" will not be able to stand alone in a sentence without causing confusion.

Possessive pronouns go hand in hand with personal ones: every personal pronoun has a possessive. Possessive pronouns in English answer whose question? (whose?), their function is to determine the belonging. It is important to note that the absolute form of possessive pronouns in English is used to replace the noun itself, that is, the directly defined word. Let's consider the types of possessive pronouns and the peculiarities of their use.

The absolute form of possessive pronouns in English: parallel with the basic form

Possessive pronouns are characterized by the presence of two forms => basic and absolute. The main form performs the function of definition and its task is to always stand in front of the noun. The absolute form, which is the second, is used directly to replace the noun itself, that is, the word being defined.

Main form (serves as a definition to a noun)	Absolute form (serves as a direct replacement for a noun)
Single
My (mine, mine, mine, mine) =>	Mine (mine, mine, mine, mine)
Your (yours, yours, yours, yours) =>	Yours (yours, yours, yours, yours)
His (his) =>	His (his)
Her (her) =>	Hers (her)
Its (him, her) =>	Its (him, her)
Plural
Our (our, our, our, our) =>	Ours (ours, ours, ours)
Your (your, your, your, your) =>	Yours (yours, yours, yours, yours)
Their (them) =>	Theirs (them)

So, from the table you can see that possessive pronouns include such as my, your, his, her, its, our, their, mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs.

Examples of

Sarah decided to leave her job to find the better one => Sarah decided to quit her job to find a better one.
Mr. Thompson took his shirt to see whether it will suit to his trousers => Mr. Thompson took his shirt to see if it would match his trousers.
We really want to taste our cakes to see whether they are really so delicious as people say => We really want to taste our cakes to see if they are really so delicious as people say.

The main task of possessive pronouns is to reflect belonging to something or a connection between objects.

My window is of white color and her is brown => My window white, her - brown.
My pencils are sharp but his- not => My pencils are sharp, his is not.

Today we are studying the topic of absolute pronouns, but in order to understand the peculiarities of their use, let us draw a parallel with pronouns in the attached form.

So, as we already said, attached pronouns are necessarily used with a noun =>

My rabbit is black and white => My rabbit is black and white.
Your husband is so handsome I can’t stand but look at him! => Your husband is so handsome that I can't help but look at him!
Our plates are of yellow color while our neighbors decided to buy some of red color => Our plates yellow color but our neighbors decided to buy some red.

Features of using the absolute form

It can be seen from the examples that the main form of the possessive cannot be used without a noun, the meaning is lost and the sentence will not be correct. As for the absolute pronouns, they are created in order to ... The use of the absolute form of possessive pronouns is convenient when you need to avoid repetition of the object being defined =>

It is his pen => This is his pen.
This pen is his => This pen is his.

Let's give examples with her - hers, since the pronoun his is the same in different forms Oh.

It is her car => This is her car.
This car is hers=> This car is hers.

Another striking example =>

Whose phone is it? - It’s his / hers .
Whose car is this? - This is his / her.

(his / hers are used instead of his car / her car).

Important! Absolute pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs) are meant to replace nouns

What cats like to eat? => Mine likes Kitekat.
What do cats like to eat? - Mine loves Kitekat.
Mine use instead of my cat.
Are this mine? => Yes, it is yours.
It's mine? - Yes, it's yours.

On a note! If we are talking about the possessive pronoun its, then it is important to remember that it must be used without an apostrophe. If you see a shape it's, then this is an abbreviated version of the phrase it is.

Functions of possessive pronouns in absolute form

Possessive pronouns in absolute form serve several functions in a sentence. The functions are different and depend on the specifics of the context. Let's look at some striking examples =>

In the function of the subject

These are not her pencils. Hers are in her bag => These are not her pencils. Her (are) in her bag.

Where is the lollipop? Yours is in fridge. It is too hot here => Where is the candy? Yours in the fridge. It's very hot in here.

In add-on function

Our texts are better than yours(instead of your texts) => Our lyrics are better than yours.

Her shoes are much more glamorous than yours(instead of your shoes) => Her shoes are much more glamorous than yours.

In the function of the nominal part of the predicate

Whose chinchilla is this? - It is hers .

Whose chinchilla is this? - Her.

Whose red Maybach is it? - It is mine.

Whose red '' Maybach '' is that? - My.

Note! After the absolute form of the noun we do not put!

Summing up

The absolute pronoun helps to make speech easier and easier without breaking the meaning of the sentence. It is better to study possessive pronouns in the absolute form in parallel with the topic, which reveals the features of the use of the main form of such pronouns. Light theme, and if you reinforce the knowledge gained with examples, then you will understand it very quickly.