A2 · Elementary

Possessives: Saying Who Owns It

English has two ways to say something is yours — a word before the noun (my book) and a word that stands alone (that book is mine) — plus one small apostrophe that does the same job for names. Here is when to use each.

Level: A2 my · mine · ’s · whose Play · Practice · Score

The Grammar Transformer

Press a button. Change the owner.

Same car, same sentence. Switch the owner and the form, and watch the possessive word change shape — and watch one owner where it does not change at all.

This is my car.

Structure: my + noun

My goes before the noun. It never changes for a plural: my car, my cars.

Got the pairs? Jump to the practice →

The rules — with examples

There are three ways to show ownership in English, and the one you need depends on what comes next: a noun, nothing at all, or a person’s name.

The three ways to show ownership

Before a noun

my · your · his · her · its · our · their

This is my bag.
Where is their house?

On its own

mine · yours · his · hers · ours · theirs

This bag is mine.
The blue one is hers.

With a name

’s · s’ · whose

That is Anna’s bag.
Whose bag is this?

The quick test: if a noun follows, use the first column. If nothing follows, use the second. Say “this is my bag” or “this bag is mine” — never “this is mine bag”.

The six pairs

Read across, not down. The left word needs a noun after it; the right word stands alone at the end of the sentence.

Owner

Before a noun

On its own

mine

you

your

yours

his

she

her

hers

its

—

our

ours

they

their

theirs

Two things to notice: his fills both columns, and its has no partner — there is no word “its” that stands alone, so we say the dog’s instead.

The four rules

Match the owner, not the thing

Anna lost her keys. — not “his keys”, because Anna is the owner.

Cue: ask who owns it, not what it is

These words never add -s for a plural

my book, my books — not “mys books”.

Cue: the noun changes, the possessive does not

Possessive pronouns have no apostrophe

The car is hers. The choice is theirs. — not “her’s” or “their’s”.

Cue: only names take an apostrophe, not pronouns

Whose asks the question

Whose coat is this? — It is Tom’s.

Cue: whose = who owns it; who’s = who is

Where the apostrophe goes

’sone ownermy sister’s car

s’two or more ownersmy sisters’ car

’sirregular pluralthe children’s toys

Listen for the difference: my sister’s car means one sister; my sisters’ car means two or more. They sound the same when you say them, so the apostrophe is doing all the work. And for a plural that does not end in -s — children, people, men, women — go back to ’s: the people’s choice.

Its or it’s?

The one mistake to avoid

myyourhisheritsourtheirmineyourshersourstheirs

Not one word in that list has an apostrophe. Its means belonging to it: “the dog hurt its leg”. It’s is short for it is: “it’s cold today”. To check, read the sentence with it is instead. If it still makes sense, you need the apostrophe. The same test works for their and they’re, and for whose and who’s.

Quick guide: noun after it → my, your, his, her, its, our, their. Nothing after it → mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. A person’s name → add ’s. And if you can say it is, write it’s.

Practice & score yourself

Ten questions — five multiple choice, five gap-fill. Instant scoring and a short explanation for every answer.

Your score

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Answer a question to begin.

The one rule to remember

Look at what comes next. If a noun follows, use my, your, his, her, its, our, their. If nothing follows, use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. That single question answers almost every possessive in English.

For a person, add ’s to the owner — Anna’s bag — and move the apostrophe after the -s when there is more than one owner: my sisters’ room. And remember that not one possessive pronoun takes an apostrophe, so it is hers and its, never “her’s” or “it’s”.

Ready for more A2 grammar? Try Countable & Uncountable Nouns →

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