Possessive Determiners

In English grammar, possessive determiners (also known as possessive adjectives) are words placed before a noun to show ownership, possession, or a close relationship to someone or something.

They help clarify who owns or is associated with the noun that follows: My, Your, His, Her, Its, Our, and Their.

Pronoun-to-Determiner Mapping

Each grammatical person has a corresponding possessive determiner:

Subject PronounPossessive DeterminerRelationshipSentence Example
IMyBelonging to meThis is my book.
YouYourBelonging to youIs this your pen?
HeHisBelonging to a maleHis car is outside.
SheHerBelonging to a femaleHer phone is ringing.
ItItsBelonging to an object/animalThe cat licked its paw.
WeOurBelonging to usWelcome to our home.
TheyTheirBelonging to themTheir kids are playing.

Key Rules of Possessive Determiners

1. Position Before Nouns

Possessive determiners must be followed by a noun or an adjective-noun phrase. They cannot stand alone.

  • Correct: This is my jacket.
  • Correct: This is my new leather jacket.
  • Incorrect: This jacket is my. (Must use the possessive pronoun mine instead).

2. No Apostrophes

Possessive determiners never use apostrophes. Be particularly careful with its (possessive) vs. it’s (contraction of it is or it has).

  • Correct: The dog wagged its tail.
  • Incorrect: The dog wagged it’s tail.

3. Agreement with the Possessor, Not the Noun

The possessive determiner matches the person who owns the object, not the gender or number of the object itself.

  • Example: John loves his sisters. (We use his because the possessor is John, even though sisters is feminine and plural).
  • Example: Sarah sold her car. (We use her because the possessor is Sarah).

Possessive Determiners vs. Possessive Pronouns

Do not confuse possessive determiners with possessive pronouns. While they look similar, their grammatical functions are different:

  • Possessive Determiner: Modifies a noun and is placed before it.
    Example: This is our classroom.
  • Possessive Pronoun: Replaces the noun entirely and stands alone.
    Example: This classroom is ours.

Complete Sentence Examples

Here are more examples of possessive determiners in action:

  1. I lost my keys yesterday morning.
  2. Please wash your hands before dinner.
  3. He wrote a letter to his grandparents.
  4. She spent her entire weekend painting.
  5. The tree dropped its leaves in autumn.
  6. We are planning our next summer vacation.
  7. They invited us to their wedding.
  8. The company celebrated its tenth anniversary.