Possessive pronouns his her theirs. Possessive pronouns in Russian

The use of the pronouns my, ours, yours, yours, his, hers, theirs is relative to the use of personal pronouns of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd person. So, the pronouns of the 2nd person in the above examples are a sign of an addressed speech: "Your huge world" (headline - Mosk. Koms. 1989. March 18); "A book about your friend" (title - Koms. Pr. 1991. 30 Oct.); "On your terms, the Moscow Center will rent for any period or buy an apartment in Moscow" (Mosk. Koms. 1991.17 Apr.). In sentences like: “Instructions describe our life from birth to death. But life does not become easier from this, but on the contrary, it becomes more and more restless and more difficult” (AiF. 1989. No. 3); "And in general, our football is increasingly approaching the "Danish version": relatively weak clubs, but a strong team made up of players who play abroad" (Koms. pr. 1991. Nov. 5) - possessive pronouns act in a generalizing-restrictive meaning. Under the heading "Their Voices Have Been Conveyed" Moskovsky Komsomolets publishes excerpts from reports from foreign radio stations, many of which were previously odious in our country. The quotation marks in which the pronoun is enclosed are an ironic reaction to the rubrics, headings that were previously common among us (such as "Their morals", "Under the shadow of their freedoms"). "Ours" is the tendentious name of a series of programs by A. Nevzorov about the actions of OMON in the Baltic States in January-March 1991. A title reflecting the journalist's political leanings. The same name - "Nashi" - was given to one of the new Moscow newspapers, just as tendentious in the selection and interpretation of facts.

The pronoun own indicates belonging to any of the three persons; "I love my job"; "Do you love your job"; "He loves his job". It should be emphasized that there are several features in its use.

1. If the active producer of the action is the 1st or 2nd person, the pronoun yours is synonymous with the possessive pronouns mine, yours, yours, ours: "I do not write my biography. I turn to it when someone else requires it" (Past.) - 1st person; "Be quiet, hide and conceal Both your feelings and your dreams" (Tyutch.) - 2nd person.

The difference between them lies in the fact that the pronoun your simply indicates belonging, and the possessive pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person emphasize which particular person it belongs to. Depending on the purpose of the message, the speaker chooses one or another pronoun. So, in the novel "Eugene Onegin" A.S. Pushkin, speaking about the main and favorite characters of the novel, about the novel itself, prefers the pronoun mine: "Forgive me! I love my dear Tatyana so much"; "But that's enough. It's time for me to study the Letter of my beauty"; "With the hero of my novel Without preface, this very hour, Let me introduce you"; "And so I began my novel."

In general, in lyrical poetry, the use of possessive pronouns of the 1st and 2nd person, which are more meaningful than the pronoun own, is very common: “With a sheaf of your oatmeal hair, you left me forever” (Ec.); "And reading my life with disgust, I tremble and curse" (P.); "I am learning, I am learning with my heart to protect the color of bird cherry in the eyes" (Ec.).

2. Your pronoun can be used only when the person, the object to which the pronoun indicates ownership, is an active producer of the action and takes the place of the subject in the sentence: "You returned to your city, familiar to tears" (Mand.); "And I will know wisdom and sadness, Objects will entrust their secret meaning to me" (B. Ahm.).

In other cases, the use of the pronoun your is erroneous: it gives rise to ambiguity. Therefore, such newspaper examples are unsuccessful: "Having angrily condemned his unworthy behavior, the workers helped him to understand his errors" (Volg. Pr.); "We found the chairman of the collective farm in his office" (ibid.). It is not clear whose misconceptions, whose cabinet is in question. It was necessary to say: "in his delusions", "in his office".

3. You should not use your pronoun even when in the context there are already indications of ownership expressed by other means, which makes the use of your pronoun superfluous, for example; "More than once ... he demonstrated advanced methods of work ... the turner comrade Khodin, who fulfilled his norm by 180 percent" (Kolomenskaya Pravda).

Rakhmanova L.I., Suzdaltseva V.N. Modern Russian language. - M, 1997.

English possessive pronouns- a basic topic for language learners. They are in many ways similar to the corresponding pronouns in Russian, but they have their own characteristics. What - we will tell in this article.

One of the differences between English and Russian is that possessive pronouns have two types: simple and absolute form. Let's figure out what this difference is and how not to get confused in different forms.

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns indicate the ownership of an object. They are used when we want to say that this item is mine, yours, or, for example, his.

Possessive pronouns are formed from personal ones. Personal forms replace nouns and stand in the position of the subject. They vary in person, number, and gender. Let's remember what personal pronouns look like in English:

For every personal pronoun there is a formpossessive pronoun in English:

These forms are called relative possessive or simple possessive. They can replace nouns with the indicator 's or the construction with the preposition of to convey the idea of ​​belonging.

Philip’s house / house of Philip - Philip's house → His house - His house

The form is determined through the gender, number and person of the person to whom the object belongs. The number of objects in question does not affect the form of the pronoun: the pronoun does not agree in number with the object. Let's demonstrate with examples:

my / your / his / her books - my / your / his books

our / your / their book - our / your / their book

The meaning of possessive pronouns is to convey the connection between the subject and the person to whom the subject belongs. When we say "mine" or "our", we indicate to whom the object belongs. But a reference to a noun does not mean direct possession of the subject, as, for example, in the phrases my house (my house), his book (his book). The value of belonging can be indirect and only indicate who we refer to in such constructions:

his passion for drawing - his passion for drawing
my homework - my homework

Such pronouns can also refer to animate persons:

your grandmother - your grandmother
his child - his child

Typical usagepossessive pronouns in English language - indication of body parts:

my arm - my hand
his head - his head
He took my hand - He took my hand

Possessive pronouns can be added to the construction with a full noun:

my husband's house / house of my husband - my husband's house

Use in a sentence

Simple possessive pronouns in Englishare placed before nouns and are not used without it.

The function of such pronouns is the function of the adjective. They answer the question "whose?" and characterize the following object: my room (my room) / our son (our son) / his game (his game).

When combined with a noun, possessive pronouns can take different positions in a sentence. For example, to act as a subject definition:

My pen is on the table - My pen is on the table

Their car looks like a new one - Their car looks like new

Your grandmother is such a nice person - Your grandmother is such a nice person

A noun with a possessive pronoun can take the position of a direct object:

I can't find my pen - I can't find my pen

She invited my wife - She invited my wife

Or stand in the position of an indirect object:

I will be in their house this Sunday - I will be in their house this Sunday

I was there with your father - I was there with your father

He wants to talk to our son - He wants to talk to our son

With a possessive pronoun, the use of the article is not possible. The pronoun itself in sentences replaces the article:

We have just seen a car - We just saw a car

We have just seen his car - We just saw his car

The book is on the table - The book on the table

Also cannot be used together.possessive and demonstrative pronouns in English.

We have just seen that car - We just saw that car

We have just seen his car - We just saw his car

This book is on the table - This book is on the table

Your book is on the table - Your book is on the table

Adjectives can be added to constructions with possessive pronouns. Such definitions refer to the subject, the belonging of which is reported in the phrase. The position of the adjective in this case is between the possessive pronoun and the noun to which it refers:

We have just seen his new car - We have just seen his new car

Your blue pen is on the table - Your blue pen is on the table

I will see their wonderful house this Sunday - I will see their wonderful house this Sunday

Absolute possessives

Absolute possessive pronouns in Englishdiffer in form from relative ones. For them, the first person singular form of my becomes mine, and in other persons and numbers, the ending -s is added. Since the simple possessive form of the pronoun he already ends in -s (his), no additional indicator is added here and the absolute form is the same as the simple one.

Forms of absolute possessive pronouns:

  • mine - mine
  • yours - yours
  • his - his
  • hers - her
  • ours - our
  • yours - your
  • theirs - theirs

Let's add absolute forms to the table we already knowpersonal and possessive pronouns in English:

Note that the inanimate it does not form an absolute possessive form, and pronoun its not used as such. In such cases, it is possible to use only the simple form of the pronoun with a noun:

The cat plays with its toy - The cat plays with its toy

The formation of the absolute form will be incorrect:

The cat plays with its toy and the dog with its → The cat plays with its toy and the dog with its ball - The cat plays with its toy, and the dog with its ball

Using absolute possessives in a sentence

The difference between the absolute form of possessive pronouns is that they do not adjoin the corresponding nouns, but are used independently. Their function in a sentence is that of a noun, not an adjective. Therefore, sometimes such pronouns are called independent.

When the absolute formEnglish possessive pronounstands in the position of the subject, this means that the noun has already been used in speech. Since there is no noun in such forms, its appearance earlier in the text is necessary to determine which object is being discussed.

Where is your book? Mine is on the table - Where is your book? mine is on the table

Such pronouns can appear in sentences as part of the predicate:

This pen is mine - This is my pen

The whole world is yours - The whole world is yours

Another use of independent possessive pronouns is constructions with the preposition of to indicate the ownership of an object.

John is my friend → John is a friend of mine - John is my friend

Absolute forms of possessive pronouns can appear in various positions in a sentence. For example, as a subject:

My husband prefers to stay at home and yours adores travelling - My husband prefers to stay at home, and yours loves to travel

Or in direct object position:

I cannot find my book, I only see yours - I cannot find my book, I only see yours

Independent possessives are also used in place of an indirect object:

He always spends time with their children and never with ours - He always spends time with their children and never with ours

As in the case of simple forms of possessive pronouns, absolutes cannot be used together with articles. Also cannot be used together.possessive and demonstrative pronoun in English. Such suggestions would be wrong.

Error: We have just seenthe his car. But the hers looks more fashionable.

Correctly: We have just seen his car. But herslooks more fashionable - We just saw his car. But her car looks more stylish.

Error: I can't find that book butthis yours is on the table.

Correctly: I can't find that book butyoursis on the table - I can't find that book, but yours is on the table.

Unlike simple forms of possessive pronouns, independent ones do not allow the use of adjectives. Since such words are not used with nouns, the adjective that is attached to the noun is impossible in such constructions. If the speaker wants to use an adjective, then the absolute form must be replaced by a combination of a simple possessive with a noun.

Error: We have just seen his car. Buther new looks more fashionable.

Correctly: We have just seen his car. Buther new carlooks more fashionable - We just saw his car. But her new car looks more stylish.

Error: I can't find my pen butyour red is on the table.

Correctly: I can't find my pen but your red penis on the table - I can't find my pen, but your red pen is on the table.

Use of independentpossessive pronouns in Englishallows you to get rid of unnecessary repetition of words. From the use of such pronouns, it is already clear which object is being referred to, so the repeated use of a noun is redundant. Compare the following sentences:

This pen is my pen → This pen is mine (This is my pen)

Where is your book? My book is on the table → Where is your book? Mine is on the table (Where is your book? Mine is on the table)

My husband prefers to stay at home and your husband adores travelling → My husband prefers to stay at home and yours adores travelling (My husband prefers to stay at home, and yours loves to travel)

I cannot find my pen, I only see your pen → I cannot find my pen, I only see yours (I can't find my pen, I only see yours)

He always spends time with their children and never with our children → He always spends time with their children and never with ours (He always spends time with their children and never with ours)

Often independent formsEnglish possessive pronounsused as an opportunity to oppose one object to another:

We have just seen his car. But hers looks more fashionable - We just saw his car. But her car looks more stylish.

I can't find my book but yours is on the table - I can't find my book, but yours is on the table.

As we can see, there are many differences between simple and absolute forms in English. The two kinds of possessive pronouns differ in form and in their use in sentences. But despite this, the meaning of the two types of pronouns when translated into Russian is the same.

A pronoun is a special class of significant words that point to a subject without naming it. To avoid tautology in speech, the speaker may use a pronoun. Examples: I, yours, who, this, everyone, the most, the whole, myself, mine, another, another, that, somehow, someone, something, etc.

As can be seen from the examples, pronouns are most often used instead of a noun, and also instead of an adjective, numeral or adverb.

Pronouns tend to be divided into categories according to their meaning. This part of speech focuses on names. In other words, pronouns replace nouns, adjectives, numerals. However, the peculiarity of pronouns is that, replacing names, they do not acquire their meaning. According to the established tradition, only inflected words belong to pronouns. All invariable words are treated as pronominal adverbs.

This article will present the meaning and grammatical features, as well as examples of sentences in which certain pronouns are used.

Table of pronouns by category

Personal pronouns

I, you, we, you, he, she, it, they

reflexive pronoun

Possessive pronouns

mine, yours, ours, yours

Demonstrative pronouns

this, that, such, so many

Definitive pronouns

himself, the most, all, everyone, each, any, other, other

Interrogative pronouns

who, what, which, which, whose, how much, which

Relative pronouns

who, what, how, which, which, whose, how much, which

Negative pronouns

no one, nothing, none, no one, no one, nothing

Indefinite pronouns

someone, something, some, some, a few

Pronouns are divided into three categories:

  1. Pronominal nouns.
  2. Pronoun adjectives.
  3. Pronominal numerals.

Personal pronouns

Words that indicate persons and objects that are participants in a speech act are called "personal pronouns". Examples: I, you, we, you, he, she, it, they. I, you, we, you denote participants in speech communication. The pronouns he, she, they do not participate in the speech act, they are reported by the speaker as non-participants in the speech act.

  • I know what you want to tell me. (Participant in a speech act, object.)
  • You must read all fiction from the list. (The subject to which the action is directed.)
  • We have had a wonderful holiday this year! (Participants of the speech act, subjects.)
  • You played your part perfectly! (The addressee, the object to which the appeal is directed in the speech act.)
  • He prefers a quiet pastime. (Non-participant in the speech act.)
  • Is she definitely going to America this summer? (Non-participant in the speech act.)
  • They jumped with a parachute for the first time in their lives and were very pleased. (Non-participant in the speech act.)

Attention! The pronouns his, her, their, depending on the context, can be used both in the category of possessive and in the category of personal pronouns.

Compare:

  • He was not at school today, neither at the first nor at last lesson. - His performance at school depends on how often he attends classes. (In the first sentence, his is a personal pronoun in the genitive; in the second sentence, his is a possessive pronoun.)
  • I asked her to keep this conversation between us. She ran, her hair flowing in the wind, and the silhouette was lost and lost with every second, moving away and dissolving in the light of day.
  • They should always be asked to turn the music down. - Their dog very often howls at night, as if yearning for some unbearable grief of his.

reflexive pronoun

This category includes the pronoun itself - indicates the person of the object or addressee, which are identified with the actor. This function is performed by reflexive pronouns. Suggestion examples:

  • I have always considered myself the happiest person in the whole wide world.
  • She constantly admires herself.
  • He does not like to make mistakes and trusts only himself.

May I keep this kitten?

Possessive pronouns

A word that indicates the belonging of a person or object to another person or object is called a "possessive pronoun". Example: mine, yours, ours, yours, yours. Possessive pronouns indicate belonging to the speaker, interlocutor or non-participant in the act of speech.

  • My The decision is always the correct one.
  • Your wishes will surely come true.
  • Our the dog behaves very aggressively towards passers-by.
  • Your the choice will be yours.
  • Finally I got mine gift!
  • Their keep your thoughts to yourself.
  • My the city misses me and I feel like I miss it.

Words like her, him, them can act as a personal pronoun in or as possessive pronoun. Suggestion examples:

  • Them the car is at the entrance. - They haven't been in the city for 20 years.
  • His the bag is on the chair. - He was asked to bring tea.
  • Her the house is located in the city center. - They made her the queen of the evening.

The belonging of a person (object) to a group of objects also indicates a possessive pronoun. Example:

  • Our Joint trips will be remembered to me for a long time!

Demonstrative pronouns

Demonstrative is the second name of the demonstrative pronoun. Examples: this, that, such, so much. These words distinguish one or another object (person) from a number of other similar objects, persons or signs. This function is performed by the demonstrative pronoun. Examples:

  • This the novel is much more interesting and informative than all those that I have read before. (Pronoun this distinguishes one object from a number of similar ones, indicates the peculiarity of this object.)

Pronoun this is also performs this function.

  • it sea, these the mountains, this is the sun will forever remain in my memory the brightest memory.

However, you should be careful with the definition of the part of speech and not confuse the demonstrative pronoun with the particle!

Compare examples of demonstrative pronouns:

  • it it was excellent! - Did you play the part of the fox in the school play? (In the first case, this is is a pronoun and fulfills the predicate. In the second case this is- the particle has no syntactic role in the sentence.)
  • That the house is much older and more beautiful than this one. (Pronoun that selects an object, points to it.)
  • Neither such, no other option suited him. (Pronoun such helps to focus on one of the many subjects.)
  • So many once he stepped on the same rake, and again he repeats everything anew. (Pronoun so many emphasizes repetition.

Definitive pronouns

Examples of pronouns: himself, the most, all, everyone, each, any, other, other. This category is divided into sub-categories, each of which includes the following pronouns:

1.Himself, the most- pronouns that have a distinguishing function. They elevate the object in question, individualize it.

  • Myself director - Alexander Yaroslavovich - was present at the party.
  • He was offered most a highly paid and prestigious job in our city.
  • Most The greatest happiness in life is to love and be loved.
  • Samo Her Majesty condescended to praise me.

2.Whole- a pronoun that has the meaning of the breadth of coverage of a characteristic of a person, object or feature.

  • Whole the city came to watch him perform.
  • All the road passed in remorse and the desire to return home.
  • Everything The sky was covered with clouds, and not a single gap was visible.

3. Anyone, everyone, anyone- pronouns denoting the freedom to choose from several objects, persons or features (provided that they exist at all).

  • Semen Semenovich Laptev - a master of his craft - this is for you any will say.
  • Any a person is able to achieve what he wants, the main thing is to make an effort and not be lazy.
  • Each blade of grass, each petal breathed life, and this desire for happiness was transmitted to me more and more.
  • Anything the word he said turned against him, but he did not seek to correct it.

4.Other, other- pronouns that have the meaning of non-identity with what was said earlier.

  • I chose different a path that was more accessible to me.
  • Imagine another Would you have done the same in my place?
  • AT different once he comes home, silently, eats and goes to bed, today everything was different ...
  • The medal has two sides - another I did not notice.

Interrogative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: who, what, which, which, whose, how much, which.

Interrogative pronouns include a question about persons, objects or phenomena, quantities. A sentence that contains an interrogative pronoun usually ends with a question mark.

  • Who Was that the man who came to us this morning?
  • What what will you do when the summer exams are over?
  • What there should be a portrait of an ideal person, and how do you imagine him?
  • Which the of these three people could know what really happened?
  • Whose is it a briefcase?
  • How much is the red dress which did you come to school yesterday?
  • Which your favorite time of the year?
  • whose I saw a child in the yard yesterday?
  • How Do you think I need to enter the Faculty of International Relations?

Relative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: who, what, how, which, which, whose, how much, which.

Attention! These pronouns can act as both relative and interrogative pronouns, depending on whether they are used in a particular context. In a complex sentence (CSP), only a relative pronoun is used. Examples:

  • How are you making a biscuit pie with cherry filling? - She told how she makes a cherry pie.

In the first case how - the pronoun has an interrogative function, i.e. the subject concludes a question about a certain object and about the method of obtaining it. In the second case, the pronoun how is used as a relative pronoun and acts as a connecting word between the first and second simple sentences.

  • Who knows in which the sea flows into the Volga river? - He did not know who this man was to him, and what could be expected from him.
  • What do you need to do to get a good job? - He knew what to do in order to get a well-paid job.

What- pronoun - is used both as a relative and as an interrogative pronoun, depending on the context.

  • What shall we do tonight? - You said that today we should visit grandma.

To accurately determine the category of pronouns, choosing between relative and interrogative, you need to remember that the interrogative pronoun in a sentence can be replaced by a verb, a noun, a numeral, depending on the context. The relative pronoun cannot be replaced.

  • What do you want to have dinner tonight? - I would like vermicelli for dinner.
  • Which do you like the color? - Purple do you like it?
  • Whose is this a house? - Is this your mother's house?
  • Which the are you in line? Are you eleventh in line?
  • How do you have candy? - Do you have six sweets?

A similar situation with the pronoun than. Compare examples of relative pronouns:

  • What would you like to do for the weekend? He completely forgot what wanted to do it for the weekend. (As we can see, in the second version the pronoun how enters the category of relative and performs a connecting function between the two parts of a complex sentence.)
  • How did you get into my house yesterday? - Anna Sergeevna looked at the boy inquiringly and did not understand how he got into her house.
  • How does it feel to know that you are in trouble? - I know for myself what it's like to realize that your plans are collapsing rapidly and irrevocably.
  • How many times do I ask you not to do this again? - She has already lost count, which time her son brought his class teacher to tears.
  • Whose car is parked at the gate of my house? - He was at a loss, so he could not figure out whose idea it was to provoke a fight.
  • How much is this Persian kitten worth? - He was told how much a red Persian kitten costs.
  • Who knows what year the Battle of Borodino took place? - Three students raised their hands: they knew in what year the Battle of Borodino took place.

Some scholars propose to combine relative and interrogative pronouns into one category and call them "interrogative-relative pronouns". Examples:

  • Who is there? He didn't see who was here.

However, at present, it has not yet been possible to reach a common agreement, and the categories of interrogative and relative pronouns continue to exist separately from each other.

Negative pronouns

Examples of pronouns: no one, nothing, none, no one, no one, nothing. Negative pronouns have the meaning of the absence of persons, objects, and also to indicate their negative characteristics.

  • Nobody didn't know what to expect from him.
  • Nothing he was not so interested that he could devote his whole life to this cause.
  • No debt and none money could not keep him from running away.
  • A lonely dog ​​ran along the road, and it seemed that she had never had a master, a home and tasty food in the morning; She was draw.
  • He tried to find excuses for himself, but it turned out that everything happened precisely on his initiative, and no one was to blame.
  • He was completely there is nothing to do, so he walked slowly through the rain past the glowing shop windows and watched the oncoming cars passing by.

Indefinite pronouns

From interrogative or relative pronouns, an indefinite pronoun is formed. Examples: someone, something, some, some, several Indefinite pronouns contain the meaning of an unknown, indefinite person or object. Also, indefinite pronouns have the meaning of deliberately concealed information that the speaker specifically does not want to communicate.

Such properties have Examples for comparison:

  • someone's the voice was heard in the darkness, and I did not quite understand to whom it belonged: a man or a beast. (Lack of information from the speaker.) - This letter was from my no one an acquaintance who had been absent from our city for a long time and was now about to come. (Intentionally withheld information from listeners.)
  • Something an incredible thing happened that night: the wind tore and threw leaves from the trees, lightning flashed and pierced the sky through and through. (Instead of something you can substitute indefinite pronouns similar in meaning: something, something.)
  • Some of my friends consider me a strange and wonderful person: I do not strive to earn a lot of money and live in a small old house on the edge of the village . (Pronoun some can be replaced by the following pronouns: someone, a few.)
  • Several a pair of shoes, a backpack and a tent were already packed and waiting for us to pack up and leave far, far from the city. (The subject does not specify the number of items, generalizes their number.)
  • someone informed me that you received a letter, but do not want to acknowledge in e volume.(The speaker deliberately hides any information about the face.)
  • If a anyone saw this person, please report it to the police!
  • anyone knows what Natasha Rostova and Andrei Bolkonsky were talking about at the ball?
  • When you see anything interesting, do not forget to write down your observations in a notebook.
  • some moments in learning English remained incomprehensible to me, then I returned to the last lesson and tried to go through it again. (Deliberate concealment by the speaker of information.)
  • how much I still had money in my purse, but I didn't remember how much. (Lack of information about the subject from the speaker.)

Grammar categories of pronouns

Grammatically, pronouns are divided into three categories:

  1. Pronoun noun.
  2. Pronoun adjective.
  3. Pronominal numeral.

To pronominal noun include such categories of pronouns as: personal, reflexive, interrogative, negative, indefinite. All these digits are likened to nouns in their grammatical properties. However, pronominal nouns have certain features that a pronoun does not have. Examples:

  • I came to you . (In this case, this is the masculine gender, which we determined by the past tense verb with a zero ending). - You came to me. (The gender is determined by the end of the verb "came" - feminine,

As you can see from the example, some pronouns are devoid of the category of gender. In this case, the genus can be restored logically, based on the situation.

Other pronouns of the listed categories have the category of gender, but it does not reflect the real relationship between persons and objects. For example, the pronoun who always combined with a past tense masculine verb.

  • Who was the first woman in space?
  • Ready or not, here I come.
  • She knew who would be the next contender for her hand and heart.

The pronoun what is used with past tense neuter nouns.

  • What enabled you to do this?
  • He did not suspect that something similar to his story could be happening somewhere.

Pronoun he has generic forms, but the gender here acts as a classification form, and not as a nominative.

To pronominal adjective demonstrative, definitive, interrogative, relative, negative, indefinite pronouns. They all answer the question which? and are likened to adjectives in their properties. They have dependent forms of number and case.

  • This tiger cub is the most playful in the zoo.

Pronouns are pronouns as many as, several. They are likened in their meaning in combination with nouns.

  • How many books did you read this summer?
  • So many opportunities now I had!
  • Grandma left a few hot pies for me.

Attention! However, in combination with pronoun verbs how many, how many, several are used as adverbs.

  • How much is this orange blouse?
  • So much can be spent on vacation.
  • I thought a little about how to live and what to do next.

Possessive pronouns answer the questions Whose? Which? and indicate the belonging of the subject to someone. This article describes the faces of possessive pronouns, the features of their declension, their syntactic role in speech construction with examples and important points.

Possessive pronouns in Russian- a group of words that indicate the attribute of an object by its belonging (indicate that something belongs to someone) and answer questions Whose? Which? In phrases and sentences, they agree with nouns in gender, number and case.

Examples of possessive pronouns: my textbook, your table, our house, your breakfast, your phone.

At school, possessive pronouns are studied from grade 2.

Person of possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns correspond to personal pronouns and indicate to which person the object being defined belongs.

Singular Plural
Personal Attractive Meaning Personal Attractive Meaning
1st person I my indicates belonging to the speaker we our indicates belonging to a group of persons, which include the speaker
2nd person you your indicates belonging to the person addressed (interlocutor) you your indicates belonging to a group of people who are being addressed (interlocutors)
3rd person he she it his her indicate belonging to a person who is not participating in the conversation they them indicates belonging to persons who are not involved in the conversation

Pronoun myself indicates that something belongs to any of the three persons.

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Declension of possessive pronouns

All possessive pronouns except him, her, them change in gender, number and case.

Cases Singular Plural
Husband. genus Wed genus Female genus
I. p. my, my, my, my,
R. p. mine mine mine
D. p. mine mine mine
V. p. my (mine)

yours (your)

our (our)

your (your)

his (own)

 mine mine (mine)

yours (your)

ours (ours)

yours (your),

their (own)
T. p. mine mine mine
P. p. about my, about my, about my,

Note! Possessive pronouns are often confused with demonstratives, since they also change in numbers, gender and cases and indicate a sign. However, unlike possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns do not have the meaning of possession, but only indicate the subject (this road, that student).

Syntactic role of possessive pronouns

In a sentence, possessive pronouns usually play the syntactic role of an agreed (mine, yours, yours, ours) or inconsistent (his, her, them) definitions.

Examples: Your the paintings are beautiful. My pencils are on the table. His everyone liked the lyrics.

Less commonly, possessive pronouns are used as part of a compound nominal predicate.

Examples: Forgotten things were my. The best work was our.

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Any student who starts learning English from scratch on his own or with a teacher will learn how to answer the question “ What's your name?”(Russian. What is your name?).

Answering " My name is…“(Rus. My name is ...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(mine, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to build communication in English.

We use the same possessive pronouns for everything, but do we own our lives or sisters or husbands in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own any of them at all?

We use possessive pronouns for everything, but do we really own our lives, sisters or husbands as much as we own our shoes? Do we own all this?

~ Samantha Harvey

They can cause some misunderstanding on the part of those who are just starting to learn English and have encountered Possessive pronouns for the first time.

AT English grammar peacefully coexist two varieties of possessive pronouns: Possessive adjectives(possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). Today we will talk about them in this article.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on key chains: I am yours (Russian I am yours), And you are mine (Russian And you are mine)

Let's first remember what a possessive pronoun is.

Possessive pronouns(mine, yours, ours, and others) indicate the sign of belonging to a certain person and answer the question whose? In Russian, they agree with the noun in number, gender, and case.

What about English possessive pronouns? There are two forms of possessive pronouns in English ( Possessive adjectives and Possessive pronouns), which differ in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.

Let us consider in more detail both forms of possessive pronouns in English.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns in English, resembling an adjective in their role in a sentence, and which are always used with a noun, are called Possessive adjectives(Russian possessive adjective).

Below is a table of the formation of possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns dependent form (Table 2)

When we want to indicate ownership, we cannot use !

Sentence He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and wrong in both English and Russian. He is a personal pronoun. Replace it with a suitable possessive adjective his and get a grammatically and logically correct sentence: His name was Car l (Russian. His name was Karl)

Sometimes this form possessive pronouns or Possessive adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used on its own, without a noun.

Remember!

Possessive pronouns-adjectives (Possessive Adjectives) in English they are used only in conjunction with a noun and always come before it.

Since dependent possessive pronouns resemble adjectives in their functionality, they also play the role of a definition in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive adjectives in English

English beginners often confuse possessive adjectives with contracted forms of the verb. to be:

your and you're (= you are)

its and it's (= it is)

Compare the use of possessive pronouns and the contracted form of the verb:

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in English that can be used in a sentence without a noun are called Possessive Pronouns(Russian possessive pronoun).

Possessive Pronouns also called absolute or independent form of possessive pronouns. In this form, nouns are never placed after possessive pronouns, since these pronouns are used instead of nouns.

Remember!

Absolute possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronounss) in English are used without a noun and perform the function of the subject, object or nominal part of the predicate in the sentence.

Below is a table of the formation of absolute possessive pronouns in English and their comparison with personal pronouns.

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 1)

Possessive pronouns in English absolute form (Table 2)

English possessive pronouns in absolute form replace the possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) with a noun to avoid repetition of information, since everything is clear without it. For example:

This book is my book, not your book(Russian This book is my book, not your book)

This book is mine, not yours(Russian This book is mine, not yours)

As you noticed in both Russian and English, the second sentence sounds more natural. Let's take a look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English

Sentence with a possessive pronoun Translation into Russian
What's mine is yours, my friend. What's mine is yours, my friend.
I have broken my pencil. Please give me yours. I broke my pencil. Please give me yours.
Are those gloves hers? Those gloves are hers?
All the essays were good but his was the best. All the writings were good, but his was the best.
The world is mine. The world is mine.
Your photos are good. Ours are terrible. Your photos are great, ours are terrible.
These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair. These are not John and Mary's children. Theirs is black haired.
John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers. John found his passport, but Mary couldn't find hers.
Is that chair yours? Is this chair yours?
I know this drink is yours but I need to drink something. I know this drink is yours, but I need something to drink.

Possessive pronoun its in absolute form is used extremely rarely, only in conjunction with the word own:

The cottage seems asleep yet, but it may have a life of its own(Russian. It seemed that the cottage was still sleeping, but perhaps it lived its own life).

My or Mine? Possessive pronoun or adjective?

On the poster is an inscription with a vivid example of the use of possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form: “Because my body is mine (belongs to me!)”

As already mentioned, we use possessive adjectives and pronouns when we need to express ownership. Both forms are translated into Russian in the same way.

Possessive adjective ( Possessive Adjective) is always used with a following noun:

This is my pen(Russian This is my pen), where my is a possessive adjective, pen is a subsequent noun.

Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used on their own, without an accompanying word:

This pen is mine(Russian This pen is mine), where mine- a possessive pronoun, after which we DO NOT NEED a noun.

Comparative table of possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to focus on someone or something, it is better to use the absolute form.

Translation of English possessive pronouns

There is no difference in the meaning of possessive adjectives and pronouns in English and in their translation into Russian.

English possessive pronouns in dependent and absolute form are translated into Russian in the same way, but there are a few things you need to know about.

Translation of the possessive pronoun your into English

There is no special possessive pronoun in English that corresponds to the Russian possessive pronoun ""own"".

Russian pronoun ""own" in English corresponding possessive pronouns.

Example sentences in English with the translation of the pronoun svoi

English possessive pronouns usually not translated into Russian when combined with nouns denoting parts of the body or items of clothing, but are always present before the noun.

In Russian, with similar nouns, possessive pronouns are usually not used. Compare English sentences with possessive sentences with translation:

Special cases of using possessive pronouns

Using the Of yours structure

Very often (especially in American English) you can hear the following construction: a friend/some friends of + mine, yours, etc:

I saw a friend of yours last night(eng. I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.

Here are some friends of mine(Russian. And here are my friends) = Here are my friends.

Offers I saw one of your friends last night and I saw a friend of yours last night translated will be the same "Last night I saw one of your friends." However, there is a slight semantic difference.

Let's look at phrases "my friend" and “a friend of mine”.

“My friend” is about a close friend. If you call a person "my friend" It means that you have a warm and trusting relationship with him. But, each of us has people with whom we just have a good relationship. These are just our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly what we need here the expression “a friend of mine”.

The indefinite article itself tells us that “one of” friends, someone indefinite:

This is my friend Jessica.("my friend" - before the name)

This is Jessica, a friend of mine.("a friend of mine" - after the name)

With a phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one amusing fact. In English culture, there is a concept urban myth(BrE) or urban legend(Ame). This is a story, usually with an unexpected, humorous or instructive ending, which the narrator passes off as a real event.

We call these stories "tales" or "fictions". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.

Most of these stories (or "tales") begin with the words: This happened to a friend of mine... (This happened to one of my friends...).

When to use Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely

You have probably come across the phrase Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely in the end official letter, for example:

Yours sincerely, Mary Wilkinson(Russian. Sincerely, Mary Wilkinson).

In business correspondence, these are irreplaceable phrases that need to be written at the end of the letter. Read more about the features of business English.

Examples of using the phrases “Yours faithfully” and “Yours sincerely”

Using an English noun in the genitive case

Possessive nouns can be used as possessive pronouns to talk about belonging to someone in particular.

As a rule, the use of nouns in the possessive case does not affect the form of possessive pronouns, for example:

Whose cell phone is that? - It's John's.(Russian Whose phone is this? - John.)

Who do these computers belong to? - They"re our parents".(Russian. Who owns these computers? - Our parents.)

The relation of belonging or involvement of one object to another can also be indicated using the possessive case ( The Possessive case). which we will talk about in our next article.

Possessive pronouns in English: video

To finally consolidate the knowledge gained, we recommend that you watch a video about possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

English Grammar Lessons - Possessive Adjectives and Pronouns

Finally:

In this article, we tried to explain the use of possessive pronouns in English as simply as possible and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.

We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have questions about this topic and you will be able to use this grammar correctly in your speech and writing.

Stay on our site and you will discover a lot from the world of English grammar!

Exercises for possessive pronouns

And now we invite you to test your knowledge of possessive pronouns in English by completing the following test.

Choose the correct option (insert either a possessive adjective or a possessive pronoun according to the meaning):

Jane has already eaten her lunch, but I"m saving hers/her/my/mine until later.

She has broken hers/her/his leg.

My mobile needs to be fixed, but mine/his/our/their is working.

You/Yours/Mine/My computer is a Mac, but you/your/yours/my is a PC.

We gave them ours/mine/our/yours telephone number, and they gave us their/theirs/ours/mine.

Mine/My/Yours/Your pencil is broken. Can I borrow you/yours/him/its?

Ours/Our/Your/My car is cheap, but you/your/yours/my is expensive.

You can "t have any chocolate! It" s all mine / my / our / yours!

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