Unit 2 - Possessive Nouns, Adjectives and Pronouns

Possessive Nouns, Adjectives and Pronouns


Unit 2 - Possessive Nouns, Adjectives and Pronouns

1.
Whose watch is this?

Oh, it's mine.

And whose pen is this?

It's Tim's, I think.
-----

2.
Whose CDs are these?

They're mine. Do you like them?

Sure, I've got the same CDs at home.
-----

3.
Who lives in that house?

Oh, that's the Jones's house. This is our house.

Your house is really nice.

Thanks.

Is this your car?

No that's not mine, it's my neighbor's. This is mine.

--------

Key Vocabulary

whose
watch
mine
these
CD
mine

same
Jones - a common family name
our
nice
neighbor

Possessives show who or what something belongs to - they show possession.

Most nouns can be made possessive simply by adding 's. For example:
- The restaurant's food is very good.
- David Beckham's right foot is excellent.
- You can eat an apple's skin.

If the noun is plural and ends in "s", you add just '. For example:

girls is plural and ends in "s" so:'
- The girls' books are interesting. (The girls's books are interesting)
children
is plural but doesn't end in "s" so we just add 's as normal:
- The children's boks are interesting.
boss ends in "s" but is not plural, so again just add 's.
- The boss's office is very big.

This can however look and sound awkward, so you can sometimes just use ' instead. For example with names:
Thomas's book, Tess's house can also be Thomas' book, Tess' house.

The basic rule is; if the noun is plural and ends in "s" add ' - otherwise just add 's.

2. Possessive Adjectives

Here are the possessive adjectives with example sentences. Notice that possessive adjectives come before the noun.

Possessive Adjective

My
Your (singular)
Her
His
Our
Your (plural)
Their
Its

Uncountable

This is my book
Your car looks great.
Her watch is expensive.
His house is on Chamber Street.
Our dog is cute.
Your friends are nice.
This is their ball.
The cat likes its food.

3. Possessive Pronouns

Here are the possessive pronouns with example sentences. Notice they never come before nouns.

Possessive Pronoun

My
Your (singular)
Her
His
Our
Your (plural)
Their
Its

Uncountable

This book is mine.
That car is yours.
Theexpensive watch is hers.
The house on Chamber Street is his.
The cute dog is ours.
Those friends are yours.
This ball is theirs.
--

There is no possessive pronoun for its, so you cannot say "The book is its". Also possessive pronouns often come at the end of sentences and are usually stressed. "This is my book" can have a fairly factual meaning, but "This book is mine" stresses more strongly whose book it is.


Grammar Exercises


Exercise 1

Make the possessive form of the nouns given.

Example: My brother's house is in London. (brother)

1. My shirt is purple. (friend)

2. The books are on the desk. (girls)

3. It's birthday on Monday. (John)

4. Do you have newspaper? (today)

5. The bags are in the bedroom. (children)

6. My office is next to mine. (boss)

7. Your uncle is your brother. (father)

8. Your aunt is your sister. (mother)

9. My birthdays are next month. (friends)

10. A tail is long. (monkey)

Answers
1. = "friend's";
2. = "girl's";
3. = "John's";
4. = "today's";
5. = "children's";
6. = "boss's";
7. = "father's";
8. = "mother's";
9. = "friend's";
10. = "monkey's";

Exercise 2

Add the correct possessive adjective or pronoun.

Example: I have a pencil, it's my pencil. It's mine.

1. She has a book, it's book. It's .

2. You have an umbrella, it's umbrella. It's .

3. They have some magazines, they're magazines. They're .

4. Here is Bob's house. It's house.

5. These are Tom and Jackie's bags. They're bags.

6. I have a puppy. It's .

7. Tyler's brother has a new apartment. It's .

Answers
1. = "her";
2. = "hers";
3. = "your";
4. = "yours";
5. = "their";
6. = "theirs";
7. = "his";
8. = "their";
9. = "mine";
10. = "his";

Exercise 3

Example: My name is Jeremy.

1.
watch is this?

Oh, it's .

And whose pen is this?

It's , I think.

2.
Whose CDs are ?

They're . Do you like them?

Sure, I've the CDs at home.

There are bookstores in the center of town. Let's go this afternoon.

3.
lives in that house?

Oh, that's the Jones' house. This is house.

Your house is really nice.

Thanks.

Is this car?

No that's not mine, it's my . This is mine.

Answers
1. = "Whose";
2. = "mine";
3. = "Tim's";
4. = "these";
5. = "mine";
6. = "got";
7. = "Who";
8. = "our";
9. = "your";
10. = "neighbor's";