Possessive adjectives
A possessive adjective is a word placed directly before a noun to show who or what it belongs to. English has seven: my, your, his, her, its, our and their. Unlike possessive pronouns, they never stand alone; they must be followed by a noun, as in "my book" or "their house".
Types of possessive adjectives
First person
Show possession by the speaker or a group including the speaker.
e.g. my phone, our decision
Second person
Show possession by the person or people being spoken to.
e.g. your idea, your friends
Third person singular
Show possession by one other male, female, or non-human/thing.
e.g. his car, her opinion, its colour
Third person plural
Show possession by more than one other person, animal or thing.
e.g. their plan, their homes
Rules to remember
- A possessive adjective always comes immediately before a noun (or before an adjective plus noun): my new laptop.
- It agrees with the owner, not with the thing owned: a man says his bag, a woman says her bag, regardless of the object's gender.
- Its (no apostrophe) shows possession; it's (with apostrophe) is a contraction of it is or it has. These are never interchangeable.
- Possessive adjectives do not change form for singular or plural nouns: my book, my books.
- Do not confuse possessive adjectives (my, your, his) with possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his), which replace the noun instead of modifying it.
Examples in sentences
| Example | How it works |
|---|---|
| I left my umbrella on the train. | 'My' shows the speaker owns the umbrella. |
| Is this your seat or mine? | 'Your' modifies 'seat'; 'mine' is a possessive pronoun, not an adjective. |
| The dog wagged its tail happily. | 'Its' (no apostrophe) shows possession by the dog. |
| Sarah forgot her keys again this morning. | 'Her' agrees with the female owner, Sarah. |
| We invited our neighbours to the party. | 'Our' shows possession by a group including the speaker. |
| The students handed in their assignments late. | 'Their' shows possession by a plural third-person group. |
| He couldn't find his passport before the flight. | 'His' agrees with the male owner, matching the noun 'passport'. |
Common mistakes
Incorrect: The cat licked it's paw.
Correct: The cat licked its paw.
Incorrect: This is a book of my.
Correct: This is my book.
Incorrect: She lost his phone.
Correct: She lost her phone.
Why this matters for IELTS
Using possessive adjectives accurately, especially avoiding the classic its/it's confusion and gender agreement errors, signals careful control of basic grammar to the IELTS examiner. Since Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards error-free simple structures alongside complex ones, consistently correct possessive adjectives across your Speaking and Writing responses help protect your score from small but noticeable slips that examiners are trained to notice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a possessive adjective in simple terms?
It is a word like my, your, his, her, its, our or their that goes before a noun to show ownership, as in 'her car' or 'our garden'.
What is the difference between a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun?
A possessive adjective must be followed by a noun (my book), while a possessive pronoun stands alone and replaces the noun (that book is mine).
Is 'its' a possessive adjective?
Yes. 'Its' without an apostrophe is the possessive adjective for things or animals, as in 'the company changed its logo'. 'It's' with an apostrophe means 'it is' or 'it has'.
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