We use possessive pronouns in our speech every day. This is my cat, their dog, her portion of ice cream, his briefcase, their daughter... We will see pronouns in almost every sentence. Since the theory on this topic has already been studied, today we will proceed directly to practice in order to consolidate the acquired knowledge. Remember: when studying possessive pronouns in English language exercises will help you remember the theory much more effectively than even a hundred repetitions. So let's get straight to the point! Interesting tasks await us that will be easy enough even for children.
Exercises on possessive pronouns are relatively easy. And if you first repeat the basic subtleties of translation, then working on the tasks will be very easy. So, for your attention, tables with possessive pronouns that will put all the features of translation on the shelves.
First form of possessive pronouns
| My | My, my, my, my |
| His | His |
| Her | Her |
| It's | His her |
| Our | Our, ours, ours, ours |
| Your | |
| Their | Their |
Second form of possessive pronouns
| Mine | My, my, my, my |
| His | His |
| Hers | Her |
| Ours | Our, ours, ours, ours |
| Yours | Yours, yours, yours, yours; yours, yours, yours, yours |
| Theirs | Their |
As you already know, despite the fact that possessive pronouns (Possessive Pronouns) have two forms, they all answer the same question => whose? That is Whose? Whose? Whose? Whose? At the same time, we would like to remind you that the absolute form of possessive pronouns differs from the first (attributive) both in spelling and in role in the sentence: nouns do not follow the absolute form, they are missing.
Examples:
That is his cup => This is his cup (possessive pronoun in attributive form his+ noun cup)
But! That cup is mine=> This cup is mine (possessive pronoun in absolute form mine, after which there is no need to put a noun).
So, when we have repeated the theory, we can safely begin the exercises. Now you can test your knowledge in practice. Forward!
Exercise 1. (possessive pronouns)
Correctly place the possessive pronouns, choosing from those proposed in the attributive form (my, his, her, its, our, your, their):
my his her our them
Book but she denied to return it to him.
I saw that picture in
his our its her their
House but don’t remember whether it was her property or just a gift.
I forgot my glasses in
your my their her our
Car. Probably they will return it to me tomorrow.
The teacher was listening to
my their your our its
Answer quite patiently but it was really silly one.
His It's Your Her
Jacket I found in
her his my their our
My Your His Our Their
Parents were absent while
his my their your our
Were at school.
Note! In these sentences, the possessive pronouns can be swapped. For example, in last sentence Possessive Pronouns can be interchanged without affecting the context. But, for example, in the third sentence there will be only one choice, since there is an identifier word they.
We continue to use possessive pronouns
Exercise 2. (possessive pronouns)
Write correct option from those presented in brackets:
My grandfather has a cat. color is warm red.
She saw dress washing in washing machine. The dress in washing machine was (her, hers, its).
I saw him wearing best shirt It suits him so much!
cat sleeps when it has done all insidious things.
They live in a big city. city is so nice I would like to visit it this summer!
I like dress more than .
I have a rabbit. The rabbit is .
plane is a luxury one as well as pleasure boat
My sister has a doll. doll is very expensive.
Her brother is very naughty. Only trousers costs 5 times more than my most expensive dress!
Exercise 3. (possessive pronouns)
Place the pronouns correctly in attributive and absolute form:
I have a dress. The dress is.
Dress is very nice.
Her friend has a new lipstick. The new lipstick is .
Lipstick is of dark wine color.
This shirt is.
Shirt is from the newest collection.
The business is
A pronoun is a part of speech that is used in place of a name. Not “Peter Vasilyevich”, but “he”, not “the author of these lines”, but “I”. Possessive pronouns, just like personal ones, allow you to make your message more concise. Compare: “Pyotr Vasilyevich’s shoes” and “his shoes.” in English, just like in Russian, they answer the questions “whose” (Whose?), “who belongs to?”.
This is my hat. - This is my hat.
Her cat trampled on my tulips! - Her cat trampled my tulips!
Your offer is very attractive, but I’ve already found the job. - Your offer is very attractive, but I have already found a job.
Types of pronouns
Possessive pronouns in English can be divided into two large groups depending on which one they take grammatical form- absolute or relative. Pronouns in absolute form are quite independent, while relative pronouns cannot be used independently - only before a noun.
Compare:
This is my suitcase (This is my suitcase). - This suitcase is mine (This suitcase is mine).
As you can see, in the Russian language the form of the pronoun has not changed. In both cases we use the same word - “my”. However, these two sentences have different semantic emphasis. The second statement is more categorical. But it's not only that. An independent possessive pronoun is often necessary in order to simply not clutter up speech with unnecessary repetitions. For example, take this dialogue:
No, it is not my car. (No, this is not my car.).
And now another version of the same dialogue:
Is it your car? (This is your car?).
No, it is not mine. (No, not mine.).
And if two people know what they are talking about, then the dialogue may look even shorter.
Is it yours? (That is yours?).
No, it isn't mine. (No, not mine).
Relative possessive pronouns in English, as already mentioned, are used only before nouns. There are several subtleties: if there is a pronoun, then the article is no longer needed. The pronoun may be followed by another adjective. For example: my funny red ball - my funny ringing ball. However, there are two adjectives that are used before relative possessive pronouns: both (both) and all (all). For example: All my balls are red.
A summary table of pronouns in English is given below.
| Personal pronouns | Possessive pronouns (relative form) | Possessive pronouns (absolute form) | Example |
| I | my | mine | I am a musician. This is my violin. The violin is mine. |
| We | our | ours | We are students. This is our room. That computer is ours. |
| You | your | yours | You are a student. Is that book yours? Is that your book? |
| He | his | his | He is a freelancer. This is his site. This site is his. |
| She | her | hers | She is playing her violin. The violin is hers. |
| It | its | its | It is a cat. This is its house and this mat is its. |
| They | their | theirs | They are good friends. They are walking with their children. Children are theirs. |
Main difficulties
Learning forms is usually not difficult, as are understanding and translating English texts. But when translating back, from Russian into English, some difficulties arise. For example, “I called him” and “that’s his hat.” It would seem that we see here two completely identical words - “him”. But can we translate them the same way? If you understand the essence of possessive pronouns well, then you will not get confused in this situation. The possessive pronoun is used here only in the second case. Whose hat is this? - His. That is - his. But in the sentence “I called him,” the pronoun in no way characterizes ownership. This is a pronoun in the genitive case, answering the question “who?” Therefore, here you need to use the pronoun he in the genitive case - him.
There is another common mistake. In the Russian language there is a universal pronoun “svoy”. There is no such thing in English, we will say instead of “ours” - her, instead of “ours” - theirs, and so on. And what is important, this pronoun in some cases replaces the definite article, especially before nouns meaning personal belongings, close people or parts of the body. For example, “He put on his glasses.” As you can see, we consider it unnecessary to point out that he was wearing his own glasses. This is implied. When constructing a phrase in English, we must use either a possessive pronoun before the word glasses. IN in this case it is the pronoun that will sound more natural. He puts on his glasses.
How to learn possessive pronouns in English
According to the advice of experienced teachers, learning grammar will not be difficult if you follow these rules: take your time, analyze all the grammar rules using examples, and compile tables yourself. In fact, pronouns are one of the simplest topics the English language contains. Exercises in which possessive pronouns are repeated in one form or another can be found in a wide variety of tasks. The main exercise for consolidating the above material, which is found in textbooks or tests, is sentences with missing words, where you need to insert the correct form of the possessive pronoun. In most cases, to master this topic, it is enough to complete 4-5 such exercises and analyze several texts.
Possessive pronouns (possessive pronouns
) in English express belonging and answer the question whose? whose? For example: my - mine, your - yours etc.
They have two forms - dependent And independent. Possessive pronouns in the dependent form are sometimes called possessive pronouns-adjectives. Possessives in the independent form are sometimes called possessive pronouns-nouns.
| Face | Dependent form (defines noun) |
Independent form (replaces a noun) |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | ||
| 1st person | my my, my, mine, mine | mine my, my, mine, mine |
| 2nd person | your is yours | yours is yours |
| 3rd person | his his her her its his her |
his his hers her its* his her |
| Plural | ||
| 1st person | our[ˈaʊə] our, ours, ours, ours | ours[ˈaʊəz] our, ours, ours, ours |
| 2nd person | your yours, yours, yours, yours | yours yours, yours, yours, yours |
| 3rd person | their[ðeə] them | theirs[ðeəz] them |
*Note! Possessive pronoun its written without an apostrophe. With apostrophe ( it's) is written as an abbreviation for the phrase it is.
1. Possessive pronouns in dependent form are always used only in conjunction with corresponding nouns. not used in this case.
Examples:My dress is red. - My dress is red.
Our interview was interesting. – Our interview was interesting.
2. Possessive pronouns in independent form replace nouns with themselves, i.e. Nouns are never placed after this form. The article in this case, similarly as in the dependent form, is not used.
Examples: This is my cap. This cap is mine. - This is my cap. This cap is mine.
This is not her bag, hers is brown. - This is not her bag, it’s hers - brown.
3. When translating from Russian into English pronouns mine, there may be confusion because this pronoun can refer to all three persons, singular and plural. In order to correctly translate a pronoun, you need to pay attention to the person of the subject in the sentence.
Examples:I washed their hands. – I have washed my hands.
She washed their hands. – She has washed her hands.
I don't have a pen. You can you give me my(handle)? I have no pen. Can you give me yours?
4. In English possessive pronouns in dependent form are used more often than in Russian. They are used when the pronoun precedes the corresponding Russian nouns your(s) absent.
Examples: I told sister about it. –I told my sister about it.
He bought wife present. – He bought his wife a present.
We very often use possessive pronouns in both Russian and English. Do you think it’s enough to learn my, his, her, their? No, their use sometimes puts those who do not know all the secrets in an awkward position.
Ask yourself: what is a pronoun? Yes, a part of speech that replaces a noun or adjective. And here special group Possessive Pronouns, one might say, characterizes an object, phenomenon, property, indicating that it belongs to someone and answers the question whose? whose? whose? (whose?).
This is my note-book - This is my notebook.
Their decision was unexpected. “Their decision was unexpected.
Our car is broken. — Our car is broken.
What are the possessive pronouns in English?
This group takes its roots from personal pronouns in terms of education, and it is by comparing them that we will consider the use of these parts of speech. To make it easier to understand and remember, we will divide all Possessive Pronouns into two groups.
- Possessives pronouns-adjectives. This name indicates that the listed parts of speech are before a noun, which it describes, characterizes it. In this case never no articles are used. However, after these possessive pronouns in English, there can be other definitions (adjectives), which come after them. I would also like to note that these pronouns are placed after all and both, if there are any in the offer. Let's dive into the examples and consider all the cases.
Her ticket is on the table. — Her ticket is on the table.
It isn't my bus. - This is not my bus.
Your friend came to see me yesterday. — Your friend visited me yesterday.
He gave me her address. — He gave me her address.
Where is mygreen pencil? - Where is my green pencil?
Hiselder brother writes poems. — His older brother writes poetry.
Allmy books are in the bag. — All my books are in my bag.
Bothhis friends smoke, but he doesn’t. Both of his friends smoke, but he doesn’t.
- Possessives pronouns-nouns(or absolute form). This subgroup is used without a noun and performs its function as a subject, a nominal part of a predicate or an object. They can appear either at the end or in the middle of a sentence.
As can be seen from the table, they are identical in meaning and translation, but the formation and use will have to be remembered. To make it easier to remember, look: his - the two forms are the same, I changes to mine, and the ending -s is added to all the others. Let's look at examples where the absolute form is used. According to lexical norms, it is advisable to use it so as not to duplicate the noun that was used in the previous replica.
Are these your spectacles? - No, they are not mine. - Are these your glasses? No, they are not mine.
Her house is not far from ours.— Her house is not far from ours.
Does this book belong to Mary? - No, It's yours.— Does this book belong to Mary? - No, it's yours.
Her score was better than theirs.“Her score was better than theirs.”
We'll leave her house after dinner, so we should be at yours before 10.
Translation
When translating from English into Russian, problems usually do not arise. You just have to remember all the forms. But in English! Here you often come across bumps that cause you to trip painfully. To ensure you are on the right path to learning a language, remember some features:
1. In the Russian version they can stand "his, theirs" , which can be translated by English possessive and personal pronouns. The first ones answer the question whose? whose?, and the second - whom? What?
I saw him. - I saw him (someone - personal).
This is his watch. - This is his watch (whose - possessive).
I met them. - I met them (whom - personal).
This is their home. - This is their house (whose is possessive).
2. Russian is also often a dead end. "mine", because in English there is no corresponding form. Therefore, we translate with one of the possessive pronouns, which depends on the subject.
I gave my car to my son. — I have given my car to my son.
He lost his keys. — He has lost his keys.
They gave us their food. — They gave us their food.
I don't have a ticket. Can you sell me yours? — I haven’t got a ticket. Can you sell me yours?
3. Very often in Russian in general absentT possessive pronoun, and in English it should be. Only if the meaning “your” is implied, is it necessary to use this part of speech. This is where many people make the mistake of using the instead of a pronoun. Most often, this situation occurs before nouns denoting parts of the body, family members, or clothing.
I told my wife everything. — I have told everything to my wife (not the wife - means to his wife.)
They put their hands in their pockets. - They put their hands into their pockets (your hands in your pockets).
Put on your coat! —Put on your coat!
There is nothing complicated here. If you need to insert possessive pronouns into English sentence, then look at the presence of a noun: if there is, then the relative form, if not, then the absolute form. Of course, you need to do exercises to consolidate all the material.
Exercises
- An old friend of (us, our, ours) telephoned yesterday and said he would visit (us, our, ours).
- Is that picture on the wall (your, yours, you)?
- (They, their, theirs) holiday starts the week after (we, our, ours).
- Can we have (you, your, yours) suggestion first and then we’ll hear (he, him, his)?
- I didn’t bother going to (she, her, hers) party and she won’t be coming to (me, my, mine).
- (Us, our, ours) flight was delayed but (their, theirs, them) took off on time.
- Can I borrow (your, yours, you) pen? — I’m sorry, it isn’t (my, mine, me).
- Bob is one of (our, ours, us) best pupils.
- She has no mistakes in (her, hers, she) test.
- (My, mine, me) hands are cold, but (your, yours, you) are warm.
1. ours, us.
2.yours
3. theirs, ours
4. your, his
5. her, mine
6. ours, theirs
7. your, mine.
8.our
9. her
10. my, yours
As you know, all parts of speech are divided into independent and auxiliary. As in Russian, pronouns in English belong to an independent part of speech, which denotes an object or is a sign of it, but does not directly name persons and objects. These words do not name relationships and properties, do not give spatial or temporal characteristics.
Pronouns (Pronouns) in English replace a noun, which is why they are called “in place of a name” - He, you, it. These words can also be used instead of an adjective - Such, that, these. As in Russian, so in English, there are a lot of such lexical units, but it is necessary to know them and use them correctly. Therefore, let’s move on directly to the study.
According to their meaning, Pronouns can be classified into several groups. I suggest you familiarize yourself with this classification and the characteristics of each group:
Personal are the most important and most common pronouns. In a sentence they act as the subject. And the word "I (I)" is always written in capital letters, regardless of whether it is at the beginning or in the middle of a sentence. And the pronoun you (you, you) expresses both the plural and the singular.
It should also be remembered that lexemes he (he) and she (she) used if they want to designate an animate person, and it- to designate animals, abstract concepts and inanimate objects. A "they" used both in relation to inanimate objects and animate persons.
Personal pronouns in English are declined according to cases. In the case when they act as the subject of a sentence, they are in nominative case, and when they serve as a complement - in the object form. To make it clearer for you, please study the table
|
Face |
Nominative |
Objective case |
||
|
Singular |
||||
|
1 |
I | I | me | me, me |
|
2 |
you | You | you | you, you |
|
3 |
he | He | him | him, his |
| she | she | her | her, her | |
| it | it, he, she | it | his, her, him, her | |
|
Plural |
||||
|
1 |
we | We | us | us, us |
|
2 |
you | You | you | you, you |
|
3 |
they | They | them | them, them |
Possessive pronouns
English possessive pronouns (Possessive) we discussed in detail in the previous article. But let me remind you that they express belonging, have two forms - adjective and noun, and answer the question “Whose?” and do not change in numbers. There is also a special absolute form. Look at the table showing how Possessive Pronouns are inclined:
|
pronouns |
|||
|
form |
personal |
possessive |
absolute |
|
Unit |
I |
my |
mine is mine |
|
Plural |
we |
our |
ours ours |
Demonstrative pronouns in English
Demonstrative or demonstrative - point to a person or object. Demonstrative pronouns in English do not change by gender, but are declined by number, that is, they have singular and plural forms. Wherein " this" refers to an object that is located next to the speaker, and the word " that" indicates an object located at a considerable distance.
In addition, “that” can be translated into Russian as “this, this.” Demonstrative pronouns in English in a sentence can serve as subject, object, modifier or noun.
Reflexive pronouns in English
Reflexive or reflexive - express reflexive meaning, show that the action is aimed at itself actor Therefore, reflexive pronouns in English in a sentence correspond in form to the subject.
Their distinctive feature is that they end with "- self"singular or "- selves» in plural)". In Russian, this is the verbal suffix “-sya (-s)” or the pronoun “yourself (yourself, yourself, yourself)”: He cut himself - He cut himself
| Singular | Plural | ||
| myself | ourselves | ||
| yourself | yourselves | yourself (yourself) | |
| himself | yourself (himself) | themselves | |
| herself | |||
| itself | |||
|
oneself indefinite form |
|||
Indefinite pronouns in English
Indefinite - one of the largest groups English pronouns. Nouns and adjectives can be substituted in sentences. Indefinite pronouns in English can be divided into words formed from “no” (no, not at all), “any” (any, several, a little) and “some” (several, a little).
|
no |
any |
some |
|||
| nobody/nobody | nobody | anyone/anybody | somebody/somebody, whoever | someone/somebody | someone/anyone |
| nothing | nothing | anything | something/anything, anything | something | anything |
| nowhere | nowhere | anywhere | somewhere/anywhere, anywhere/somewhere | somewhere | somewhere |
| anyhow | somehow/somehow, whatever | somehow | somehow/somehow | ||
| any day/any time | whenever | some time/some day | some day | ||
Other Indefinite Pronouns include: every, each, both, all, few, little, many, much.
Interrogative pronouns in English
Interrogatives are very similar to relatives, but perform completely different functions in a sentence where they are the subject, adjective or object: Who is there? - Who's there? Sometimes they can be a nominal part of the predicate. Interrogative pronouns in English are also called "question words":
- who? - Who?
- which? - which?
- whom? - whom? to whom?
- where? - Where?
- what? - What?
- whose? - whose?
- when? - When?
- why? - Why?
Other pronouns
We dwelled in more detail on the main and more numerous pronouns, but there are other groups of pronouns in English:
- Universal: all, both, everyone, everybody, everything, every, either, each
- Dividers: another, other
- Negative: no, nobody, nothing, no one, neither, none
- Relative: that, which, whose, who