English Grammar Lab

← A1

My, your, his, her, its, our and their

You will be able to Show who owns or is connected to something.

Explanation

Place a possessive adjective before a noun: my book, her bag or their house.

Examples

Detailed course

Understand the grammar point

Go to practice ↓

Detailed explanation

This lesson focuses on my, your, his, her, its, our and their. The structure helps learners share basic information, and it should always be interpreted as part of a complete message rather than as an isolated formula. Before selecting a form, identify the subject, time reference, clause relationship, and the information that receives emphasis.

Formation is central. Place my, your, his, her, its, our, or their directly before a noun. Choose the form according to the owner, not the object owned. Build the sentence in stages: identify the grammatical subject, choose the auxiliary or main verb form, and complete the clause in normal English word order. In negatives and questions, check whether the structure supplies its own auxiliary or requires another one.

The pattern can help users describe a simple situation, form clear statements and questions, and notice subject and verb agreement. These purposes may overlap, so context decides which interpretation is natural. Time expressions, determiners, linking words, and punctuation often provide evidence for the correct choice.

A useful contrast prevents overgeneralisation. Possessive adjectives need a following noun, while possessive pronouns such as mine and theirs can stand alone. Ask how the nearest alternative would change time, certainty, focus, politeness, or register. A grammatically possible sentence may still communicate the wrong relationship if that contrast is ignored.

The guided examples are complete messages. Notice how the target structure agrees with its subject and how the surrounding vocabulary makes the intended meaning clear. When producing a new example, preserve the relationship between form and meaning while changing the people, place, and lexical details.

A reliable self-check is to paraphrase the sentence in simpler language. If the paraphrase changes the time relationship, degree of certainty, or focus, review the original form. Compare the sentence with the common mistakes and explain why the corrected version is preferable.

How to form it

Place my, your, his, her, its, our, or their directly before a noun. Choose the form according to the owner, not the object owned.

Use the structure to share basic information.

Use the structure to describe a simple situation.

Use the structure to form clear statements and questions.

Use the structure to notice subject and verb agreement.

Possessive adjectives need a following noun, while possessive pronouns such as mine and theirs can stand alone.

Guided examples

My dictionary is inside the green backpack.

My shows the speaker owns the dictionary and sits directly before the noun.

Your seat is beside the classroom window.

Your shows the seat belongs to the person being spoken to.

Omar checks his timetable before the lesson.

His refers to Omar, a male owner, even though the object owned has no gender.

Lina opens her notebook on page twelve.

Her refers to Lina, a female owner, before the noun notebook.

The school has its own small garden.

Its refers to the school, a thing rather than a person, and has no apostrophe.

Our teacher collects their homework at noon.

Our shows the speaker is one of several owners, and their refers to more than one student.

Common mistakes

Not: Me dictionary is inside the green backpack.

Use: My dictionary is inside the green backpack.

Me is an object pronoun; the possessive form my is needed before a noun.

Not: You seat is beside the classroom window.

Use: Your seat is beside the classroom window.

You is a subject pronoun; before a noun the possessive form your is required.

Not: Omar checks her timetable before the lesson.

Use: Omar checks his timetable before the lesson.

Omar is male, so the possessive adjective must be his, not her.

Not: Lina opens its notebook on page twelve.

Use: Lina opens her notebook on page twelve.

Lina is a person, so the possessive adjective is her, not its, which is only for things.

Before you practise

  • Identify the communicative purpose.
  • Check the subject and required verb or auxiliary.
  • Confirm the time reference and clause order.
  • Compare the sentence with the nearest alternative.
  • Read the complete sentence and verify the meaning.

Reading text

Bags After Music Class

About 144 words

Nadia, Sami, and their music teacher are in the music room. They need to find the right bags after practice. Several students leave their things in one corner. My notebook is on the chair. Someone points to notebooks, bags, and guitar cases. Your bag is beside the door. The first answer is short, so everyone can follow it. Her guitar case is heavy. One detail is still unclear. Their music books are in one pile. They check the materials slowly. Soon the result is clear: the work is finished. The morning feels easier because the small task is finished. Nadia, Sami, and their music teacher look at notebooks, bags, and guitar cases again before they move on. One helper writes the next step on a small card. The group speaks quietly, and the plan becomes clear. No one hurries, because the small details matter.

Reading comprehension

  1. Who is involved in the reading?

    Show answer

    Nadia, Sami, and their music teacher

  2. Where does the reading take place?

    Show answer

    the music room

  3. What task are the people trying to complete?

    Show answer

    find the right bags after practice

  4. What problem makes the task less simple?

    Show answer

    several students leave their things in one corner

Grammar in the text

  1. My notebook is on the chair.

    My shows the notebook belongs to the speaker.

  2. Your bag is beside the door.

    Your shows the bag belongs to the person being addressed.

  3. Her guitar case is heavy.

    Her shows a female owner of the guitar case.

  4. Their music books are in one pile.

    Their shows the books belong to more than one person.

Key point

Use this pattern when the meaning needs it in the reading: my/your/his/her/its/our/their + noun. In short, possessive adjectives show who something belongs to before a noun. Example: "My notebook is on the chair."

Practice

  1. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "My notebook ____ on the chair."

    Show answer

    My notebook is on the chair.

  2. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "Your bag ____ beside the door."

    Show answer

    Your bag is beside the door.

  3. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "Her guitar case ____ heavy."

    Show answer

    Her guitar case is heavy.

  4. Complete the sentence from the same situation: "Their music books ____ in one pile."

    Show answer

    Their music books are in one pile.

Listening practice

Watch a TEDx talk

“Your body language may shape who you are” — Amy Cuddy (TED). Listen for clear, natural English and pick up new vocabulary while you review this grammar point.

Check your understanding

According to Amy Cuddy, what happened to participants who held a high-power pose for two minutes?

Check your understanding

What is Amy Cuddy's key piece of advice, in her own words?

Practice

Choose the correct answer. This is Anna. ___ bag is blue.

Practice

Choose the correct answer. We live in Sousse. ___ house is near the sea.

Practice

Choose the correct answer. Tom has a bicycle. ___ bicycle is red.

Written practice

Produce the answer yourself. Capitalisation and final punctuation do not affect validation, but the grammar and word order must be correct.

Sentence correction

Written practice

Correct the sentence.

This is she book.