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Possessive Adjectives
What are Possessive Adjectives?
A possessive adjective is an adjective used to describe to whom an object belongs. It comes before the noun or pronoun it modifies.
Common possessive adjectives include…
my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose
How are they used?
Possessive adjectives are super weird. They can actually function as pronouns, but are actually adjectives. As a result, they are sometimes said to have a pronomial function. This just means they can function as a pronoun within a sentence.
To keep them straight, it’s easier to think of them as grouped into adjective and pronoun forms. This can be even more confusing, so you can use the following chart to help where both possessive forms fall under that heading.
POSSESSIVE FORMS
| Personal Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine |
| you | your | yours |
| he | his | his |
| she | her | hers |
| it | its | (none) |
| we | our | ours |
| they | their | theirs |
| who | whose | whose |
Corresponding Personal Pronouns
Each possessive adjective has a corresponding personal pronoun with which it is used. Check out these examples below:
| Personal Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | I want to wear my favorite dress to the dance. |
| you | your | You are going to wear your sparkly shoes. |
| he | his | He used his tablet to research for school. |
| she | her | She decided to share her secret with the dog. |
| it | its | It ran across the yard to its nest. |
| we | our | We rode the roller coaster until our stomachs ached. |
| they | their | They stood in line and waited their turn. |
| who | whose | The only ones who get to go are students whose work is done. |
CAREFUL!
Possessive adjectives are notoriously misspelled. The most frequently misspelled are its, your, their, and whose. For more information, be sure to visit Commonly Misspelled Possessive Adjectives.
