Possessive adjectives
530 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 53 tests of ten
They go in front of a noun and say who it belongs to. They never take an apostrophe.
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Getting your first question ready.
The form follows the owner, not the thing
This is the point that trips up speakers of languages where the possessive agrees with the noun:
Anna lost her passport. — her because Anna is female, whatever the passport is. Tom lost his keys. — his, even though keys is plural.
its, it’s, their, they’re, your, you’re
Three pairs that sound identical and are not:
| possessive | contraction |
|---|---|
| its paw | it’s raining (it is) |
| their car | they’re late (they are) |
| your coat | you’re right (you are) |
The possessives never take an apostrophe. If you can expand it to it is, they are or you are, it needs one.
Body parts and clothes
English puts a possessive where many languages use the:
He broke his arm. She put on her coat. Wash your hands.
whose
The question form, and it is not who’s:
Whose coat is this? — Who’s coming? is who is.
All forms
| Owner | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | my keys |
| you | your | your coat |
| he | his | his bag |
| she | her | her phone |
| it | its | its paw |
| we | our | our house |
| they | their | their car |
Examples
Taken from the 530 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- The students handed in their assignments for grading.
- I have invited someone tonight, and my friend is coming over for dinner.
- We need to fix our roof before it starts raining.
- You are not drawing now. Can I borrow your pencil for a moment?
- David invited us to his housewarming party.
- Sara lost her phone and couldn't contact anyone.
- The dolphin moved its tail gracefully in the water.
- The parents are proud of their children's achievements.
- Please return the pen; I brought it from home, so it's my pen.
- Sarah and I are going to the movies with our friends.
- You are the only one who knows the system. We need your help to finish this project on time.
- Jake had to leave early because of his dentist appointment.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: The cat licked it's paws. correct: The cat licked its paws.
Its is the possessive. It's means it is.
Wrong: She washed the hands. correct: She washed her hands.
English uses a possessive with parts of the body, where many languages use the.
Wrong: Their going to be late. correct: They're going to be late.
Their is possessive; they're is they are.