Sentences with possessive pronouns in English. Possessive forms (possessive forms)

Personal and possessive pronouns are one of the basic topics of the English language. Therefore, it is very important to understand them and learn how to use them correctly. This article will be especially useful for those who are just starting to learn the language.

Don't be intimidated by complex and obscure terms. Now you will see how simple and easy everything really is.

Pronouns in English

Let's first look at what a pronoun is and why it is needed.

Pronoun- a word that indicates objects (I, you, he, she) and signs (mine, yours, hers).

We use pronouns to replace words in a sentence to avoid repetition. Let's look at this with an example:

Tom studies at the university. He(we replace the name Tom so as not to repeat) will finish his(replace the word university) in a year.

This is how we used pronouns to replace the words “Tom” and “university” so as not to repeat them in the next sentence.

IN English There are several groups of pronouns. Today we will look at 2 of them: personal pronouns and possessives.

Personal pronouns in English

Personal pronouns are the words with which we replace the main character.

For example:

Mary and Sara bought tickets.
Mary and Sarah bought tickets.

They will go to the concert.
They will go to the concert.

As you can see from the example, we replaced “Mary and Sarah” with the pronoun “they.”

Such pronouns can replace either one character (he, I, she, she, you) or several (you, we, they).

Examples:

I am reading a book.
I'm reading a book.

You should watch this film.
You should watch this movie.

They love each other.
They love each other.

She likes sweets.
She loves sweets.

He fixed his car.
He fixed his car.

Possessive pronouns in English

Title "possessive pronouns" (p ossessive pronouns) comes from the French word possessif (relating to possession). Such pronouns reflect the belonging of objects and the connection between them.

They come in 2 types:

1. Used with an item

Such pronouns answer the question “whose?” and are placed in front of the object, indicating its belonging.

For example: This my computer.

Examples:

He didn't answer my question.
He answered my question.

I need your help.
I need your help.

They reached their goal
They achieved their goal.

She attracted our attention.
She caught our attention.

Let's follow his advice
Let's follow his advice.

Finding her office was easy.
Finding her office was easy.

The dog wagged its tail.
The dog wagged her tail.

2. Used independently, without an object

Such pronouns are used to avoid repetition in a sentence. There is no need to place an object after them, since they already imply it.

For example: This is my computer. Your on the table.

Examples:

Can I borrow a pen? I lost mine.
Can I borrow a pen? I lost mine.

My box is smaller than yours.
My box is smaller than yours.

It's not their suitcase. Theirs is purple.
This is not their suitcase. Theirs is purple.

Their price is below ours.
Their price is lower than ours.

He bought a new car and sold his.
He bought a new car and sold his (his).

She took his keys and gave hers.
She took his keys and gave hers (her keys).

Please note that these two types of pronouns are translated the same way, but are used differently in the sentence. After the first type there is always an object, after the second there is not. Now let's practice using them in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. This is not her car. Hers is red.
2. My dog ​​loves to play with the ball.
3. Their task is easier than ours.
4. Don't touch my computer, take her.
5. I like her dress.
6. My pen is blue, hers is green.
7. What do cats like? Mine loves to sleep.
8. My car is faster than yours.

Leave your answers in the comments below the article.

It would seem that there is nothing simpler than the pronouns: “I, you, he, she - together the whole country,” “You have yours, and I have mine.” But how to say this in English? In today's article we will look at the basic rules for using personal and possessive pronouns in English.

Personal pronouns in English

In English, a personal pronoun is used instead of a noun that we know or have already mentioned. This allows you to avoid repetitions in speech.

This is Jim. Jim is a policeman. Jim lives in New York. - This Jim. Jim police officer. Jim lives in New York.

Agree, there is too much Jim for three sentences. This is easy to fix if we combine the two sentences into one and replace the name Jim with the pronoun he (he).

This is Jim. He is a policeman and lives in New York. - This Jim. He police officer and lives in New York.

A personal pronoun can be:

1. Subject pronoun

   This pronoun is used in place of the subject in a sentence and denotes the one who performs the action. Subjective pronouns come before the verb and answer the questions “who?” So what?".

2. Object pronoun

   The pronoun is used in a sentence instead of an object, that is, the action is directed to it. Object pronouns come after the verb and answer the questions “whom?/what?”, “to whom?/what?”, “whom?/what?”, “by whom?/what?”, “about whom?” / about what?".

Personal pronouns instead of subject

The table below shows personal pronouns that are used in English instead of the subject.

Now let's look at some features of these pronouns:

• Pronoun I

  I is always written with a capital letter.

  I am a dreamer. - I dreamer.
  Mom says I can do it. - Mom says that I I can do it.

  If I is in a sentence next to another personal pronoun, then I is placed in second place.

  She and I are best friends. - We With her best friends.
  He and I played tennis together. - We With him played tennis.

• Pronouns he, she and it

  The pronouns he and she are used to refer to people. And to denote inanimate objects, phenomena and animals, the pronoun it is used.

  You know Jane. She is kind and modest. - You know Jane. She kind and modest.
  Did you see the new building yesterday? It is big. - Did you see the new building yesterday? It big.

  And if you treat your pet as a member of the family, when talking about him, you can use he or she rather than it.

  Your dog doesn't like me. It barks at me.
  - My dog ​​never barks at people. He's a good boy.
  - Your dog doesn't love me. He barks at me.
  - My dog ​​never barks at people. He good boy.

  The pronoun it is also used in impersonal sentences(in which there is no actor) to describe weather, time, distance, etc.

  It's a quarter to nine. - It's fifteen minutes to nine now.
  It's foggy outside. - It's foggy outside.
  It's three kilometers between the villages. - The distance between the villages is three kilometers.

• Pronoun you

  You is translated as "you", "you" or "you" depending on the context, but agrees with the plural verb.

  You look good in this dress. - You you look good in this dress.
  You all are beautiful. - You everyone is beautiful.
  Mrs. Walmer, I think you will be a good nurse. - Mrs. Walmer, I think You you will be a good nurse.

Personal pronouns instead of objects

In the table we present personal pronouns that are used instead of an object and appear in a sentence after the verb.

Let's look at examples:

He will help me tomorrow. - He will help to me Tomorrow.
He told us the story. - He told us this story.

We also use these pronouns after the prepositions about, on, in, with, for and others.

Stay with us. - Stay with us.
I am doing this for her. - I do it for her.

You can fix the topic and take tests in our articles “Personal pronouns in the English language” and “”.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns in English

In English there are two possessive forms:

1. Possessive adjectives
2. Possessive pronouns

Both forms denote that something belongs to someone and answer the question “whose?/whose?/whose?/whose?”

Although this article is about pronouns, we will also cover adjectives so you don't get them confused.

So what is the difference between a possessive adjective and a pronoun? A possessive adjective in English always comes before a noun and characterizes it.

This is my cup. - This my cup.
His phone is on the table. - His phone lies on the table.
Your music is annoying. - Your music annoys.

A possessive pronoun does not characterize a noun, but replaces the construction “possessive adjective + noun”. Most often, such pronouns appear at the end of a sentence.

Are those shoes mine? - Those shoes my?
It's their dog, and that is ours. - This is their dog, and this is - our.
My dress is prettier than yours. - My dress is more beautiful yours.
Her cake was better than theirs. - Her cake was tastier than their.

We can also use a possessive pronoun after a noun with the preposition of.

This is Ross. He is a friend of me my mine. - This is Ross. He my Friend.

Also, possessive adjectives and pronouns have other features that should be remembered:

• In English there is no pronoun corresponding to the Russian “svoy”. Therefore, we translate it according to the context using possessive adjectives or pronouns.

  I'll take my(possessive adjective) bag and you take yours(possessive pronoun). - I'll take it my (mine) bag, and you take it my (yours).

• The possessive adjective and the possessive pronoun its are written without an apostrophe. If you meet it's, then this is an abbreviation grammatical form: it’s = it + is.

  The cat played with its(possessive adjective) toy. - The cat was playing with his a toy.

• Formally, its exists as a possessive pronoun, but its use is avoided. It is used only with the pronoun own - its own (own, own).

  Each district of the city has the charm of its own(possessive pronoun). - Every district of the city has your own charm.

We have also collected for you the personal and possessive pronouns of the English language in one diagram for clarity. You can use it as a cheat sheet.

We invite you to watch a funny video from the Looney Tunes cartoon series. In this episode you will see how desperately the drake Daffy Duck tries to get hunter Elmer Fudd to shoot Bugs Bunny the rabbit. But Daffy has one problem - he gets confused about pronouns.

Try taking a short test on the use of personal and possessive pronouns in English.

Test on the topic “Personal and possessive pronouns in English”

We hope that our article helped you understand the features correct use personal and possessive pronouns in English. If you want to practice the rules you have learned using examples that you understand, go to one of them.

Possessive adjectives ( Possessive) - a category expressing belonging. They are placed before the noun or adjective or noun that is defined in the flow of speech. For example:

his game - his game, my daughter - my daughter, her mother - her mother, your decision - your decision, our home - our home. There are seven possessive adjectives in English. Let's look at them in a table with examples.

Possessive adjectives go before nouns, rather than replacing them. This is the difference between them and possessive pronouns.

Don't confuse Its and It's

Be careful, because even native speakers sometimes confuse these two words. Its is used to express that something belongs to an animal or other thing and emphasizes the lack of gender identification. For example:

The dog opened its mouth and barked several times - The dog opened its mouth and barked several times

It’s is a common shortening of it is or it has. For example:

It’s not my decision, you know – As you know, this is not my decision

It’s already been done, as I said you - The thing has already been done, as I told you

Even though Its and It's are similar in form, their meaning is completely different. One of the words is an adjective, and the other is a combination of an adverb and a noun. Therefore, when replacing one with another in a sentence, not only is the grammatical construction, but the whole meaning of the phrase is lost. In the flow of speech, Its and It’s differ quite simply in context and in the very meaning of the phrase. Difficulties usually arise for beginners learning English. In this case vocabulary He is still small and his phonetic hearing is not developed. In addition, the percentage of errors is higher among inattentive people who simply forget to put an apostrophe on the letter. Let's look at a few more examples to reinforce:

I looked at the table. Its legs looked as if someone scratched them – I looked at the table. His legs looked like they had been scratched

The flower was nice and its scent filled the room in a few seconds – The flower was very beautiful, and after a couple of minutes its aroma filled the room

It’s my life and you can’t decide what I have to do, you are mot my mother – This is my life, you can’t decide what I should do, you are not my mother

It’s a nice gift and I am sure they appreciated it - It was good gift, and I'm sure they appreciated it.

Gerund and possessive adjectives

Possessive adjectives can be used together with a gerund. This construction is natural for the English language, although in Russian it will look unnatural. For example:

My dancing is one of the best in the world, how can I loose?! — My dancing technique is one of the best in the world, how could I lose?

His reading became louder and louder and the audience was silent - He read, and his voice became louder and louder, and the people in the hall were silent.

I liked her knitting but it was not perfect of course - I liked her knitting, although it, of course, was not perfect

Your crying is nonsense at the moment, you would better start to do something to solve the problem - Your roar now is just stupidity, you’d better start doing something for that. To solve the problem

Our eating there was excellent – ​​Our dinner at this place was wonderful

Their sleeping was too peaceful to disturb them – They slept too peacefully for us to dare to wake them up

Its barking helped me to realize that the guest was not a stranger - His barking helped me understand that the guest was not a stranger.

As can be seen from the examples, possessive adjectives are placed in a sentence before nouns or before a gerund, since it combines a noun. Each of the seven adjectives can be used with a gerund as long as the meaning of the entire phrase is not violated.

Related Articles

In English, as in Russian, there are words that indicate that an object belongs to a person and answer the question Whose? (whose?): mine, yours, yours, ours, his, her, theirs / my, your, our, his, her, its, their. In Russian, these words are called possessive pronouns. In English, both pronouns and adjectives (mine, yours, etc.) are possessive. Unfortunately, many people often confuse my and mine. The clear and detailed explanation that follows will help you sort out this confusion and clearly understand which word to use.

Possessive adjectives in English are used in speech only in combination with nouns. The main function of any adjective is to describe a noun. The place of a possessive adjective is usually before the noun.

• This is my car. - This is my car.
• This is your dress. - This is your dress.
• This is his pen. - This is his pen.
• This is her desk. - This is her table.
• This is our flat. - This is our apartment.
• This is their pictures. - These are their drawings.

Possessive Pronouns are used when it is necessary to replace a noun. In most cases, this is done to avoid recurrence.

• This car is mine. - This car is mine.
• This dress is yours. - This dress is yours.
• This pen is his. - This pen is yours.
• This is not her bag. - This is not her bag. / Hers is red. - Hers is red. (hers = her bag).
• I've got a parrot. Its cage is not big. - I have a parrot. His cage is not big.
• This flat is ours. - This is our apartment.
• This is not their style. - This is not their style. / Theirs is much more original. - They are much more original. (theirs = their style).

*Attention! Write the possessive pronoun its without an apostrophe. An apostrophe (it"s) is used only when abbreviating the phrase it is.

Possessive Adjectives: features of use

If in a sentence there is one more before the noun descriptive adjective, then the possessive is written before it, but after words such as all (all) and both (both, both).

• Jane is my best friend. — Jane is my best friend.
• They are reading their new magazine. — They are reading their new magazine.
• All my colleagues are here. — All my colleagues are here.
• Both her parents are medicines. Both of his parents are doctors.

A possessive adjective before a noun eliminates the need for an article.

• He took his book and left. — He took his book and left.
• The children are playing with their new toy. — The children are playing with their new toy.

"Own" in English

There is no pronoun “your” in English, so when translating it is replaced by one of the possessive adjectives my, your, his, her, its, our, their (according to the person and number of the subject).

• I love my dead. - I love my father.
• She is washing her car. — She is washing her car.
• We adore our children. - We adore our children.

English possessive adjectives used in combination with nouns, which denote parts of the body, personal belongings and items of clothing, are usually omitted during translation.

• She usually dyes her hair every month. — She usually dyes her hair every month.
• Every morning I clean my teeth. — Every morning I brush my teeth.
• He has broken his arm. — He broke his arm.
• Put on your hat, please. It's rather windy today. - Put on your hat, please. It's quite windy outside today.

Article the instead of Possessive Adjectives

There are two rules that are useful for intermediate and above students to know. There are cases when before nouns denoting parts of the body, they use not a possessive adjective, but definite article the.

This is possible when:

1) the noun refers to the complement (object), and not the subject (subject), that is, not to the performer of the action, but to the one to whom the action is directed.

• The woman patted the child on the head. — The woman stroked the child’s head.

2) if the sentence talks about pain, damage or blows. Here prepositions (in, on) are combined with verbs such as:

• hit - to hit, hit;
• punch - to hit with a fist;
• bite - bite;
• pat - clap;
• slap - clap, slap;
• sting - to sting.

• An old woman has a pain in the leg. — The old woman’s leg hurts.
• A strange insect stung me in the arm. — a strange insect stung me on the hand.

Constructions of your own / on your own

After possessive adjectives, the word own is sometimes used, reinforcing the meaning of belonging.

• It was his own project. — It was his own project (that is, it was he who developed the project, and no one else).
• She saw it with her own eyes. - She saw it with her own eyes (that is, she saw it herself).
• This is our own house. - This is ours own house(that is, this house belongs exclusively to us).

The construction of (your) own (of + possessive adjective + own) is used in the same meaning.

• I need a computer of my own. — I need my own computer (I don’t want to share it with anyone).
• They have three small children of their own. - They have three small children of their own (that is, they have their own small children, so, for example, they cannot look after their friend’s children).

When translated, the expression on (your) own can have two meanings:

• alone, alone:

Margaret lives on her own. Margaret lives alone.

She often likes being on her own. — She often likes to be alone.

• independently, without outside help:

We did it on our own. - We did it ourselves.

I can make salad on my own. — I can make the salad myself.

Each personal pronoun has a corresponding possessive pronoun that expresses ownership and answers the question. whose? - whose?

Possessive pronouns have two forms. Pronouns first or basic forms serve a function definitions and stand before a noun. Pronouns second or absolute forms replace the noun itself.

Possessive pronoun in this form always comes before a noun, to which it refers and is pronounced without accent. Being a determiner of a noun, it excludes the use of articles in front of him:

If the noun is preceded by other definitions, then the possessive pronoun is placed before them:

But the possessive pronoun, like the article, is placed after all And both:

Possessive adjective pronouns can be followed by an adjective own your own , reinforcing the meaning of the pronoun:

And the design on one'sown means alone, alone and also on your own, on your own :

In English there is no special form of the possessive pronoun corresponding to the Russian pronoun " mine" . It is translated by one of the possessive pronouns: my, mine, his, her, hers etc. depending on the person and number of the subject:

Important to remember that English possessive pronouns are also used in cases where in Russian the pronoun " mine" missing (implied). Possessive pronouns are required for nouns denoting body parts, items of clothing, personal belongings, family relations, and are usually not translated into Russian. In this case it is forbidden use an article instead of a possessive pronoun the.

If the given noun refers not to the performer of the action, but to the object of the action, then the article is used the, For example:

Possessive pronouns in this form are used instead of nouns, which means that nouns are never placed after this form. These pronouns can function in a sentence subject, additions or nominal part of the predicate:

1 Subject:

2 Direct addition:

Our plan is better than theirs . (instead of their plan) Our plan is better than their .

His room is larger than hers . His room is bigger than her .

3 The nominal part of a compound predicate(another name is predicative):