Grammar › Pronouns

Possessive pronouns

450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten

They replace the noun instead of standing in front of it. No apostrophes anywhere.

Two columns, one difference

My needs a noun after it. Mine replaces the noun:

That is my coat. → That coat is mine.

His is the odd one out: it does both jobs with the same spelling. His coat and the coat is his are both correct.

No form for it

There is no its as a standing-alone pronoun. If you need one, repeat the noun:

The handle is broken — not Its is broken.

No apostrophes

Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs — none of them takes one, ever. Their’s and your’s are always wrong.

a friend of mine

A fixed pattern that uses the standing-alone form after of:

a friend of mine, a colleague of hers, an old habit of his

It means one of my friends, and it is more natural than one of my friends in most sentences.

Answering whose

The standing-alone form is what answers the question:

Whose is this? — Mine. / It’s hers.

All forms

Examples

Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.

• I ordered the sewing box online, so the parcel is mine.
• The preserving jar was made for you, so it is yours.
• The vinyl record belongs to Sarah, so it must be hers.
• The twins paid for the bread knife in the spring, so it is theirs.
• Those backpacks on the shelf belong to Daniel; they are his.
• The stapler belongs to us, so it must be ours.
• The bird feeder was made for me, so it is mine.
• Those plates on the shelf belong to you; they are yours.
• Julia paid for the mouse mat at the market, so it is hers.
• The Parkers ordered the stapler online, so the parcel is theirs.
• Martin paid for the bracelet at the market, so it is his.
• My cousin and I bought the dish rack at the market, so it is ours.

Mistakes to avoid

Other forms of Pronouns