Possessive Adjectives Table
| Subject pronoun | Possessive adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | That is my book. |
| you | your | Is this your pen? |
| he | his | He forgot his bag. |
| she | her | She loves her dog. |
| it | its | The cat licked its paw. |
| we | our | We did our homework. |
| they | their | They lost their keys. |
Key Rules
Possessive adjectives come before a noun:
✅ my book, her smile, their house
❌ book my, smile her, house their
Do not confuse with pronouns:
- my = adjective before noun → This is my car.
- mine = pronoun alone → This car is mine.
It's vs. Its:
- its (possessive adjective) = belonging to it → The dog wagged its tail.
- it's (contraction) = it is → It's raining today.
Common Mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Is this you're bag? | Is this your bag? | "your" not "you're" (you are) |
| The dog hurt it's leg. | The dog hurt its leg. | "its" = belonging to it |
| Me sister is tall. | My sister is tall. | adjective, not pronoun |
Real world: filling in a form
Please enter your name, your date of birth, and your address in the boxes below.
Real world: school notice
Students must bring their PE kit on Wednesday. If your kit is lost, please speak to your form teacher.
Real world: social media post
Just got my exam results! I passed! My mum is so proud. What were your results?
Tip Possessive adjectives are everywhere: on forms ("Enter your details"), in school letters ("Return your permission slip"), in product manuals ("Press its power button"), and on social media. They never change form — my book and my books both use my.