Possessive Adjectives

What are possessive adjectives?

Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their - modify the noun following it in order to show possession.
Examples:

• I'll get my bag.
• Is this your luggage?

Possessive adjectives are often confused with possessive pronouns.
Examples:

• Your bike is blue. (your is an adjective which modifies bike)
• Mine is yellow. (mine is a pronoun which functions as the subject of the verb is)

Examples

Subject Pronouns	I	you	he	she	it	we	you	they
Possessive Adjectives	my	your	his	her	its	our	your	their

Examples:

• Why didn't you clean your room?
  (your modifies the noun room)
• Mary doesn't like her dress.
  (her modifies the noun dress)
• The chameleon can change its color.
  (its modifies the noun color)

Things to remember:

1. Possessive adjectives are different from possessive pronouns.

• This is your (possessive adjective) book and this is mine (possessive pronoun).

2. its, their are possessive adjectives.

• Its color is beautiful.
• Their car is in their garage.

3. it's, they're and there are not possessive adjectives — its is a contraction of it is or it has;they're is a contraction of they are; there is an adverb of place.

• It's not my book = It is not my book.
• My house is big. It's got five bedrooms = It has got five bedrooms.
• Nancy and Alan are from New York. They're my friends = They are my friends.
• Please, put the chair there. (adverb)