We use pronouns to replace nouns in a sentence. Look at the word “pronoun” itself; it contains the main function of this part of speech: “ substitute", that is " instead of a noun" Pronouns are used to diversify speech and not repeat the same word from sentence to sentence.
There are several types of pronouns in English: , and possessive. We have given each type of pronouns Special attention in a separate article.
Let's see how a native speaker teacher Alex talks about words that show that someone owns something.
When we want to say that someone owns something, we use possessive forms. As you can see, Alex identified two forms: Possessive Adjectives And Possessive Pronouns .
Possessive adjectives
Let's start looking at possessive forms with possessive adjectives. Abroad these words are called Possessive Adjectives. Such words show a sign of an object, phenomenon or person, therefore they are classified as adjectives and not pronouns:
- My book. - My book. (what book? – mine)
- His friend. - His friend. (what friend? – his)
In Russian textbooks on English grammar it is written that my (your, his etc.) is a pronoun, but native English teachers insist that it is still an adjective, because it comes before a noun and defines it. Let's look at the sign:
| Personal pronoun | Possessive adjective | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | My | My |
| You | Your | Is yours |
| He | His | His |
| She | Her | Her |
| It | It's | His her |
| We | Our | Our |
| You | Your | Your |
| They | Their | Their |
My cat likes to play with a ball. – My the cat loves to play with the ball.
She wants to talk to your manager - She wants to talk to yours manager.
The teacher found his mistakes. - The teacher found his errors.
I like her dress. - I like her dress.
Our family likes to rest in Crimea, we adore its nature. – Our family loves to relax in Crimea, we adore his nature.
They look after our children. - They look after our children.
He is speaking with their mother - He's talking to their mom.
Please note: in all examples after my (his, their) goes a noun.
In the Russian language there is a universal word “svoy”, which we simply change according to numbers and persons. In English, the words “our”, “ours”, “ours” should be translated as “my”, “ours”, “his”/“hers”, respectively.
She cut mine finger. – She cut her finger.
I love my mom. – I love my mother
Do my work. – Do your work.
Possessive pronouns
If you need to replace a noun in a sentence, you must use one of the possessive pronouns. Usually the noun is replaced so that there is no repetition in the sentence.
- This is not my pen, mine is purple. – This is not my pen, my purple one (replaced my pen on mine).
| Personal pronoun | Possessive pronoun | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| I | Mine | My |
| You | Yours | Is yours |
| He | His | His |
| She | Hers | Her |
| It | It's | His her |
| We | Ours | Our |
| You | Yours | Your |
| They | Theirs | Their |
Becky! That is mine! - This my, Becky!
My task is easier than yours. - My task is easier than your.
This is not his car, his is blue. - This is not his car. his– blue.
This is a friend of hers. - This her Friend.
It is not their house, theirs is bigger. - This is not their home their more.
The general rule for all possessive pronouns is that there is no need to use a noun after them, and, as a rule, it comes at the end of the sentence. And look at this couple: a friend of mine And my friend. Both phrases mean the same thing - my friend, only after a preposition of use possessive pronouns rather than adjectives ( a friend of mine).
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.” V English language, just like in Russian, 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 definite article, especially before nouns meaning personal belongings, close people or body parts. 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.
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, 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 the 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
It may seem like they are the same thing, but this is a deep misconception. We think that this is probably how it should be, because in native language the same word is used in two phrases with different meanings: “ his coat" and "meet his In the underground". But in English they use two different types pronouns. Oh, how lucky we are with the Russian!
Objective and possessive pronouns in English. What is the difference?
Let's see what they look like first objective and possessive pronouns in English.
If we pay attention to examples of possessive pronouns in English, then we will see that they are found in pairs with nouns.
1. His father was very angry. – His father was very angry.
2. My pencil isn't broken. - My pencil is not broken.
3.Where are their children? -Where are their children?
4. We want to see our results! – We want to see our results!
5. Who is her husband? -Who is her husband?
6.What is your name? – What is your name? (literal translation)
The task of the so-called "object pronouns" to complete a verb (action), that is, to be an “object”. In other words, objective and possessive pronouns in English perform different roles in a sentence.
Object pronouns in English table with examples
Nothing less than " object pronouns in English table with examples».
|
pronoun |
example |
translation |
|
Give this bag to me ! |
Give me that bag! |
|
|
He is willing to call you . |
He's ready to call you. |
|
|
Talk to him . |
Talk to him. |
|
|
I didn't see her yesterday. |
I didn't see her yesterday. |
|
|
They don't love us . |
They do not like us. |
|
|
Them |
I want to invite them to the party. |
I want to invite them to a party. |
|
Nobody is watching TV. Turn it off! |
Nobody watches TV. Turn off His! |
Object pronouns in English table showed us that in this case we are not talking about expressing the belonging of an object to something or someone. In such sentences, we clarify who or what the speaker’s action is directed at. It turns out something like this.
Possessive pronouns + noun
Verb + object pronouns
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