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Possessive adjectives

Presentation / Objective

Possessive adjectives are used to show possession or ownership of things, animals or people according to the subject.

There are several ways of expressing possession; one of the most common is using the possessive adjectives.

Listen to the conversation between two students.

A possessive adjective is an adjective that is used to show ownership. It comes before a noun in the sentence and lets us know that one person or thing belongs to another, or is associated with another. These adjectives do not have singular or plural, nor male and female versions– you use the same one.

    In, this section you will find:

  • the definition of the possessive adjectives
  • an explanation and examples of each possessive adjective
  • the position of the possessive adjectives in a sentence
  • possessive adjective agreement
  • use of plural or singular nouns with possessive adjectives
  • activities to practice the four skills in the English language
    • writing
    • reading
    • listening
    • speaking
  • A Self-assessment exercise

Objective

By the end of this topic, you will be able to write sentences using possessive adjectives to express ownership of people and things.

Possessive adjectives

Content


Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns can be confusing. Remember that a possessive adjective is located before the word that it describes. Whereas, a possessive pronoun is used in place of a noun.

In this unit you will learn how to use possessive adjectives correctly.


Definition

Possessive adjectives are words used to show possession - always followed by a singular or plural noun. They show property, a sense of belonging or ownership to a specific person, animal or thing. They do not have male and female versions– gender.

Here is the list of the possessive adjectives used in the English language: my, your, our, its, her, his, and their. Each one corresponds to a subject pronoun.


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Giphy. (2017). Dog’s gif. Retrieved 29/06/17 from
https://giphy.combr/gifs/dogs-ball-thanks-jyu4fhx5RXocw

Click on each pronoun to find its possessive adjective.




Examples

1. My


  • We always use my instead of the pronoun I.
  • We use my for singular or plural nouns.
  • We use my for a man or a woman.

For example:

Me

My name is Joe.

My name is Anna.

My dog is black.

My cats are white.

2. Your


  • We always use your instead of the pronoun you in singular or plural.
  • We use your for male or female owners.

For example:

you

Your name is long Christopher (a male subject).

What is your e-mail Sharon? (a female subject)

Girls, can you write your phone numbers in the list? (plural female subjects).

Please boys, write in the list your first names and your e-mails (plural male subjects).

3. His


  • We use his when the subject is a male.
  • We use his for plural or singular nouns.

For example:

him

What is his name?

Harry lives in Paris, his house is near the Eiffel tower (singular).

Homer likes cars, his cars are four sport ones (plural).

4. Her


  • We use her when the subject is a female.
  • We use her for plural or singular nouns.

For example:

her

What is her name?

Mary lives in New York. Her house is small but beautiful (singular).

Anna likes animals. Her pets are three white cats (plural).

5. Its


  • We use its when the subject is only one thing or one animal.
  • We use its for plural or singular nouns.

For example:

its

What a cute puppy, what is its name?

The dog always moves its tail, when it sees its owner (singular).

Hey, the wireless TV control doesn´t have its batteries (plural).

The table has its four legs cut (plural).

6. Our


  • It is used when the subject is we.
  • It is used with singular or plural nouns.

For example:

our

We are rich, and our house has pools and gardens (singular).

We like our school and our teachers (singular /plural).

Our dogs aren´t dangerous (plural).

7. Your


  • We use your instead of the pronoun you in singular or plural.
  • We use your for male or female owners.

For example:

you

Your name is long Christopher (a male subject).

What is your email, Sharon? (a female subject)

Girls, can you write your phone numbers on the list? (plural female subjects).

Please, boys, write on the list your first names and your emails (plural male subjects).

8. Their


  • We use their when the subject is they.
  • We use their for people, animals or things.
  • We use their for plural or singular nouns.

For example:

their

These dogs had their ears cleaned and their nails trimmed. (animals)(plural /plural).

The boys gave me their money for their books (people) (singular/plural).

In Arabia, dogs don't get their vaccines on time (plural).

The boys have their apartment (singular).

In Israel, many cars don't have their license plates (things) (plural).

The position of possessive adjectives

Like all adjectives in English, they are always located before the noun they refer to.

Possessive adjective + noun


Example:

My house

Your book

Their car

The possessive adjective needs to agree with the possessor and not with the thing, animal or person that is possessed.


Examples:


  • My house is big (“I” is the subject that possesses a home).
  • Her husband works in a bank (“She” is the subject that possesses a husband).
  • His mother is a teacher (“He” is the subject that possesses a mother).

The form of possessive adjectives is the same with plural or singular nouns


  • Our car is expensive (a singular thing).

  • Our cars are expensive (plural things).


  • My book is interesting (singular).

  • My books are interesting (plural).


  • Our son is handsome (singular).

  • Our sons are handsome (plural).



Reading

Activity 1

Far Away from the family

Think about the answers to these questions:

  • How are birthday parties celebrated?
  • Do you like to go to birthday parties?
  • Is it common to celebrate birthday parties in your family?
  • Are there sad birthday parties?

In this activity, you will read a text about a girl who studies in another country. It is her birthday, and she misses her family, suddenly something beautiful happens.

Read the text carefully and choose the correct answer. When you have finished, press check, to see your score.

Far Away from the family

Alice is an Australian girl who studies in California, USA. Although she often talks to her family by the Internet, she misses them. She hasn't been away from Australia for three years because the flight ticket is really expensive.

Today is her birthday. She is 19 years old. She is in her room looking at her family photo album, she is sad.

She sees the photo of her parents’ 20th wedding anniversary. Her mom looked beautiful in her white dress. Her father was very elegant with his black tuxedo. They looked in love on their wedding day.

Now, she sees a picture of her brother. He is in his first car, and he loves his car.

There is a picture of her twin sisters. They look adorable with their pink dresses. They like their pink dresses.

There is a picture of her cat, and its name is “Candy.” It looks adorable with its pink sweater. Alice wove this sweater for her pet when she was in Australia.

Suddenly, someone knocks at the door. Alice opens the door and sees her friends. They have a birthday cake and start singing “Happy Birthday to you”.

Her best friend Amber tells her, now we are your family, and we love you very much. Congratulations Alice!



Listening

Activity 2

A surprise party

Listen to three friends organising a surprise party for one of their friends.

Listen to the conversation. Then choose the correct option for each statement. At the end of the activity, you can check your score.

Writing

Activity 3

My best friends

Write about your four best friends. Use possessive adjectives to describe where they live or study. Write about 40 words for each person.

Look at the example:

Person

Description

My cousin Luis Some girls say he is handsome because his hair is short and black. His hands are big, and his eyes are blue. His house is enormous and has a pool. His hobby is swimming.

Look at the rubrics before writing your description. Make sure you include all the criteria. .

Speaking

Activity 4

Your family

Use your mobile phone to record an audio or video that describes a member of your family.

You will have to talk for 1 - 2 minutes.

When you describe your family member, include their eyes, hair, and skin colour.

Example


Once you are ready record your audio or video.

When you have finished, check your work using the rubrics. Make sure you tick off all the aspects you included.

You will have excellent results!

Self-assessment

Choosing the correct possessive adjective

Choosing the correct possessive adjective.

Notice the context of the sentence and write the correct possessive adjective.

We now conclude the “possessive adjectives” in English unit. We hope you have learned how to use them correctly. Remember they can be easily confused with the possessive pronouns or the object pronouns. We encourage you to try to use them with your friends and relatives.

References

Basic references

Fuscoe, K. (2010). Attitude Student’s Book 1. Mexico: MacMillan.
McCarthy, M. (2005). Touchstone 1. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Raskin, J. (2010). Future English for results 2. New York: Pearson Longman.
Richards, J. (2006). Interchange 1. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Saslow, J. (2011). Top Notch 1. New York: Pearson Longman.
Soars, L. (2003). American Headway 3. New York: Oxford University Press.
Soars, L. (2009). American Headway 1. New York: Oxford University Press.

Complementary

Shaw English Online. (2014). English Grammar: Possessive Adjectives [video]. Retrieved 04/04/17 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBYfoG5wBP8
profesorfelix. (2014). Possessive Adjective en el Inglés [video]. Retrieved 04/04/17 from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkI8VbRtSBI