Possessive pronouns are personal pronouns in the possessive case which have the grammatical function of nouns. Possessive pronouns are used in place of nouns in sentences.
Examples of possessive pronouns in sentences will help you identify the 7 possessive pronouns, which are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs. When you replace the noun with a possessive pronoun you minimise the repetition of the noun.
What are the 7 Possessive Pronouns?
The 7 possessive pronouns are independent possessive pronouns that are used in place of nouns and they stand alone. These independent possessive pronouns are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs. (see the table below)
| Personal Pronouns | Possessive Adjectives | Possessive Pronouns |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | mine |
| you (singular/plural) | your | yours |
| he | his | his |
| she | her | hers |
| it | its | its |
| we | our | ours |
| they | their | theirs |
Examples of Possessive Pronouns in Sentences!
Examples of possessive pronouns in sentences will clarify the usage of the 7 possessive pronouns, which are: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs. By replacing the repeated noun with a possessive pronoun, you will minimise the repetition of the noun in the sentence.
1. Examples of the Possessive Pronoun – Mine!
- That is your laptop and this one is my laptop. (repetitive)
- That is your laptop and this one is mine. (mine replaces laptop)
- That is your book and this one is my book. (repetitive)
- That is your book and this one is mine. (mine replaces book)
- John received his results. My results aren’t here yet. (repetitive)
- John received his results. Mine aren’t here yet! (mine replaces my results)
- David’s favorite movie is an action drama. My favorite movie is a science fiction. (repetitive)
- David’s favorite movie is an action drama. Mine is a science fiction. (mine replaces my favorite)
- This damaged bicycle is my bicycle. (repetitive)
- This damaged bicycle is mine. (mine replaces my bicycle)
2. Examples of the Possessive Pronoun – Yours!
- Let’s see if Jimmy’s work is better than your work. (repetitive)
- Let’s see if Jimmy’s work is better than yours. (yours replaces your work)
- I have my money and you have your money. (repetitive)
- I have my money and you have yours. (yours replaces your money)
- Here are my books. Where are your books? (repetitive)
- Here are my books. Where are yours? (yours replaces your books)
- Why are you using my laptop? Where is your laptop? (repetitive)
- Why are you using my laptop? Where is yours? (yours replaces your laptop)
- We have finished our work. Have you finished your work? (repetitive)
- We have finished our work. Have you finished yours? (yours replaces your work)
3. Examples of Possessive Pronoun – His!
- My pillow is soft but his pillow is not. (repetitive)
- My pillow is soft but his is not. (his is used in place of pillow)
- I didn’t have my jacket for camp, so Peter lent me his jacket. (repetitive)
- I didn’t have my jacket for camp, so Peter lent me his. (his is used in place of jacket)
- The money was really his money for the taking. (repetitive)
- The money was really his for the taking. (his is used in place of money)
- Jonathan was absolutely positive that the sweater was his sweater. (repetitive)
- Jonathan was absolutely positive that the sweater was his. (his is used in place of sweater)
- The painting in the living room is his painting. (repetitive)
- The painting in the living room is his. (his is used in place of painting)
4. Examples of Possessive Pronoun – Hers!
- David found his keys but Jenny couldn’t find her keys. (repetitive)
- David found his keys but Jenny couldn’t find hers. (hers replaces her keys)
- Jimmy purchased his house but Rachel was given her house. (repetitive)
- Jimmy purchased his house but Rachel was given hers. (hers replaces her house)
- I inherited my money but Candice had to work for her money. (repetitive)
- I inherited my money but Candice had to work for hers. (hers replaces her money)
- Rebekah had to go in your car because her car was not available. (repetitive)
- Rebekah had to go in your car because hers was not available. (hers replaces her car)
- My view of events is total different from her view of events.(repetitive)
- My view of events is total different from hers. (hers replaces her view of events)
5. Examples of Possessive Pronoun – Its!
- Wisdom has its price and foolishness has its price.(repetitive)
- Wisdom has its price and foolishness has its. (its stands alone without price)
- Knowledge has its benefits and experience has its benefits.(repetitive)
- Knowledge has its benefits and experience has its. (its stands alone without benefits)
- My feet are very small compared to its feet.(repetitive)
- My feet are very small compared to its. (its stands alone without feet)
- Truth has its costs whereas dishonesty has its costs. (repetitive)
- Truth has its costs whereas dishonesty has its. (its stands alone without costs)
- Dedication has its rewards and commitment has its rewards. (repetitive)
- Dedication has its rewards and commitment has its. (its stands alone without rewards)
* see discussion below concerning the function of the possessive pronoun “its”!
6. Examples of Possessive Pronoun – Ours!
- Rachel’s wedding was ok but just wait until you come to our wedding. (repetitive)
- Rachel’s wedding was ok but just wait until you come to ours. (ours replace our wedding)
- Jonathan found his cat while we lost our cat. (repetitive)
- Jonathan found his cat while we lost ours. (ours replace our cat)
- They received their government payment. What about our government payment? (repetitive)
- They received their government payment. What about ours? (ours replace our government payment)
- Your car was parked next to our car. (repetitive)
- Your car was parked next to ours. (ours replace our car)
- Their interpretation of events is very similar to our interpretation. (repetitive)
- Their interpretation of events is very similar to ours. (ours replace our interpretation)
7. Examples of Possessive Pronoun – Theirs!
- Our findings are in line with their findings. (repetitive)
- Our findings are in line with theirs. (theirs replaces their findings)
- My car is red but their car is blue. (repetitive)
- My car is red but theirs is blue. (theirs replaces their car)
- My car is red but their car is blue. (repetitive)
- My car is red but theirs is blue. (theirs replaces their car)
- My preference is not their preference. (repetitive)
- My preference is not theirs. (theirs replaces their preference)
- The house on the corner is their house. (repetitive)
- The house on the corner is theirs. (theirs replaces their house)
“Its” as a Possessive Pronoun
There is much discussion among grammarians concerning the function of “its” as an absolute possessive pronoun.
It seems that “its” is used more commonly as a possessive adjective (also known as a possessive determiner).
- The political party destroyed itself because of the corruption of its leaders. (possessive adjective)
- The reason I encourage effort is because it has its rewards. (possessive adjective)
In contrast, “its” is not commonly used as an absolute possessive pronoun. Some grammarians will goes so far as to call its usage “rare.”
In The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language by Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum (p. 471), they suggest not to use “its” as a standalone possessive pronoun if possible. Instead, seek to use another form of the possessive pronoun. (Check it out at Amazon Books)
- The business is being destroyed by a disgruntled client of its. (sounds unnatural)
- The business is being destroyed by a disgruntled client of theirs. (sounds more natural)
However, the absolute use of the possessive pronoun “its” may be more common in parallel constructions according to Randolph Quirk.
See A Complete Grammar of the English Language by Randolph Quirk, page 362. (Check it out at Amazon Books)
- Wisdom has its price and foolishness has its price.
- Wisdom has its price and foolishness has its.
As you can see, there is a difference of opinions among grammarians. Nevertheless, it seems that the function of “its” as an absolute possessive pronoun may hinge on which grammarian you subscribe to as a student.
Examples of possessive pronouns in sentences will help you use the 7 possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours and theirs) correctly when writing and speaking. By replacing the noun with a possessive pronoun, you will minimise the repetition of the noun.
Note: I have written an article that outlines the 8 Types of Pronouns With Examples. These must-know pronouns will unlock the power of your writing and speaking gifts.
Note: I have written an article to explain the key differences between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns with many examples.
Note: I have written an article explaining in depth what are the 7 subjective pronouns and how they function in English sentences with many examples. Click on the link for more information – What are the 7 Subjective Pronouns?
