Possessive adjectives
Say who things belong to with my, your, his, her, its, our and their — and ’s.
In this lesson you will
- Use the seven possessive adjectives
- Use ’s for people’s things
- Avoid confusing its / it’s and their / they’re
Learn
Possessive adjectives go before a noun and show who it belongs to: my book, your car, his name, her bag, its colour, our house, their children.
The adjective matches the owner, not the thing: John and his* sister* · Maria and her* brother*.
For a named person, add ’s: Anna’s phone, my brother’s car. For plural nouns ending in -s, add only an apostrophe: my parents’ house.
Don’t confuse:
- its (possessive: The cat and its toy) and it’s (= it is)
- their (possessive: their house), they’re (= they are) and there (a place)
- your (possessive) and you’re (= you are)
| Subject pronoun | Possessive adjective | Example |
|---|---|---|
| I | my | my name |
| you | your | your phone |
| he | his | his job |
| she | her | her car |
| it | its | its tail |
| we | our | our flat |
| they | their | their dog |
Examples
- My name is Julia.
- Is this your coat?
- Omar loves his job.
- The company changed its logo.
- That’s Emma’s bike.
- Our teachers are great. Their lessons are fun.
Vocabulary
belong
be owned by someone
“This bag belongs to me.”
coat
clothing you wear outside when it’s cold
flat
an apartment (UK)
“Our flat is small.”
bike
a bicycle
parents
your mother and father
tail
the part at the back of an animal’s body
Practice
This is Tom. ___ surname is Brown.
Speaking
Point to five things around you and say who they belong to: “This is my phone. That’s my brother’s jacket…”
Writing
Describe a friend and their family using possessive adjectives and ’s (e.g. “Maya’s mother is a teacher. Her father…”).
Lesson quiz
___ you the new teacher?
Review
Key points
- my, your, his, her, its, our, their + noun.
- Match the owner: Tom and his…, Lucy and her…
- Name + ’s: Anna’s phone; plural -s + ’: my parents’ house.
- its ≠ it’s; their ≠ they’re ≠ there; your ≠ you’re.
What you learned
- ✓ I can use possessive adjectives.
- ✓ I can use ’s to show possession.
- ✓ I can avoid common confusions like its and it’s.
Grammar reference: Possessives: my, your, ’s, mine