Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns show ownership. The possessive pronouns are yours, his, hers, ours, theirs, mine, whose.
- Is this bag yours?
- Yes, it's ours.
- Whose coat is this?
- It's mine.
Possessive pronouns are used without following nouns.
- This coat is mine.
- Which coat is yours?
We do not use articles with possessive pronouns.
- Can I borrow your keys? I can't find mine. (NOT I can't find the mine.)
Note that the possessives my, your, his, her, its, our and their are determiners, not pronouns. Possessive determiners are used at the beginning of noun phrases.
- Have you seen my new coat?
Note the spelling of the possessive its. The contraction it's is not a possessive: it means it is or it has.
Sections in this article
Pronouns
Common mistakes in the use of pronouns
Pronouns after as and than