Possessive Pronouns

Pronouns are used for replacing nouns in a sentence. Similarly, possessive pronouns refer to those pronouns which help in replacing nouns that express ownership or possession. 

For example, James saw that Gina’s chocolate was bigger than his. Here, the word ‘his’ refers to James’s chocolate and therefore it shows that the chocolate is possessed by James. This is an example of a possessive pronoun in a sentence. 

Uses of Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns form an important part of the English language and serve various purposes. They help in substituting nouns along with depicting ownership. They can also be used for expressing origin. For example, Tamil Nadu is Raj’s home and Delhi is ours. Here, ‘ours’ is used for replacing ‘our home’ and it helps in expressing the origin which is from Delhi as inferred from this sentence. Another use of possessive pronouns is they also help in expressing a special relationship. For example, I bought a car for my brother and Ketika bought one for hers too. Here, ‘hers’ is used for Ketika’s brother. Ketika shares a bond with her brother and that is being expressed over here using the possessive pronoun ‘hers’.

Types of a possessive pronoun

The possessive pronouns can be either singular or plural based on the use and requirements in a sentence. 

The examples for singular possessive pronouns include mine, yours, hers, his, its and theirs. 

Theirs is considered to be a gender-neutral pronoun that can be used when one does not want to specify the gender. 

The usage of these pronouns in sentences can be as follows- 

1. Mine – This is his toy and this toy is mine. 
2. Yours – I think his place is smaller than yours.
3. Hers – Gaman said we can use her pen but I’m puzzled which one is hers. 

Similarly, for other singular possessive pronouns, the sentences can be made conveniently. 

The examples for plural possessive pronouns include ours, yours and theirs. The usage of these pronouns in sentences can be as follows-

1. Ours – This was Sheldon’s party and now you shall come to ours. 
2. Yours – This is my top and that is yours. 
3. Theirs – Our group feels they can do better than theirs. 

Similarly, more sentences can be formed using possessive pronouns. 

Identifying where the possessive pronoun can be used

Possessive pronouns help in replacing the noun with substitute words which further help in identifying the ownership or possession. Grammatically, possessive pronouns can be used whenever the need comes to replace a noun along with expressing ownership. Possessive pronouns can be used as both subjects as well as an objects. 

For example, when using the possessive pronoun ‘mine’ as a subject, the sentence formed can be:

• Bane has received her certificate, mine has not arrived yet. 

Similarly, when using the possessive pronoun ‘hers’ as an object, the sentence formed can be, for example, 

• Brittany found my lost bag but we still are trying to find hers.

It is essential to keep in mind that when one is using a possessive pronoun, the possessive pronoun should match the number of the owner and not the owned object. To understand this better, focus on the example given below:

• I saw Penny using a copy. I feel this copy is hers. (Here, the owner is Penny)
• I saw Penny using these copies. I feel these copies are hers. (Here, again the owner is till Penny)

Thus, as observed from the above example, it is quite clear that the usage of possessive pronouns should be based on the number of owners instead of the possessed object. 

Improper usage of possessive pronouns

Once the concept about possessive pronouns is clear, it is crucial to shed light on the improper usage of possessive pronouns. Possessive pronouns are used as a substitute for nouns to express possession and ownership. It is important to keep in mind that possessive pronouns are not used as modifiers. They cannot be used as adjectives, adverbs or other similar parts of speech. 

Conclusion

It can be concluded that possessive pronouns are a pivotal part of English Grammar. Possessive pronouns can be explained as the words which help in substituting nouns and expressing ownership. Possessive pronouns can be of mainly two types – singular possessive pronouns and plural possessive pronouns. The examples for singular possessive pronouns include mine, hers, his etcetera. The examples for plural possessive pronouns include ours, theirs etcetera.