We use possessive adjectives to demonstrate that someone or something owns something. We often use them when we talk about people. It is also mostly used in the sense of relationship more than ownership.
FORM
PERSON | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE | EXAMPLE |
| First (singular) | mine | my | My English class is at 4:00. |
| Second | yours | your | Your mother loves pasta. |
| Third (Female) | hers | her | Her bag is Prada. |
| Third (Male) | his | his | His story is unbelievable. |
| Third (Neutral) | its | its | The bird got its strength back. |
| First (Plural) | ours | our | Our prayers have been answered. |
| Third (Plural) | theirs | their | Their books are on the desk. |
The possessive adjective should agree with the owner and not with the thing that is owned.
Examples:
My book is very thick.
His girlfriend is very pretty.
Our cat is fat.
Their clothes are in their suitcases.
Possessive adjectives are always before the noun they modify.
[Pattern: Possessive Adjective + Noun]
An “S” should not be added to the adjective when it’s referring to a plural noun.
Examples:
Incorrect: Ours bags are heavy.
Correct: Our bags are heavy.
However, the verb has to agree with the noun. If it is a singular noun, the verb should be singular. If it is a plural noun then the verb is plural.
Examples:
My t-shirt is grey. (Singular)
My t-shirts are grey. (Plural)
Our dog is very well-trained. (Singular)
Our dogs are very well-trained.(Plural)