Possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives, also known as possessive determiners, indicate possession or belonging in English grammar. However, there is a significant difference in the way they're used.
Overview
Before moving to their usage, let's have a look at the overview of all possessive pronouns and adjectives in singular and plural.
| Person | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine |
| you | your | yours |
| he / she / it | his / her / its | his / hers / its |
| we | our | ours |
| they | their | theirs |
Usage
Rule 1: We use possessive adjectives in front of the nouns (the thing being possessed) to indicate possession or belonging.
Rule 2: We use possessive pronouns to replace previously mentioned nouns (the thing being possessed). As possessive pronouns are used alone, they are usually placed in the end of a sentence.
Difference Between Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns
The main difference between possessive adjectives and pronouns is that possessive adjectives accompany a noun that names the thing being possessed, while possessive pronouns replace it.
Quiz
1/4Choose the correct word to indicate possessiveness. Have you seen ___ (she) new dress?