Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership. They are placed before a noun.

Possessive adjectives are very common among limiting adjectives. In the next section you will learn how possessive adjectives show number and gender.

Possessive Adjectives and Number

Possessive adjectives are divided into singular and plural adjectives.

In the next chapter, we will introduce pronouns in detail. Pronouns are used in this chart to help you understand possessive adjectives better.

The possessive adjectives show number through their form. 

\”My,\” \”his,\” \”her,\” and \”its\” are singular adjectives indicating one owner. \”Your\” can be singular or plural depending on the context.

Question: Which one?  Answer: My teacher

Possessive Adjectives and Gender

Some possessive adjectives show gender through their form. The term gender is a classification that divides adjectives into masculine (M), feminine (F), and neutral (N) adjectives.

Consider the following two adjectives that show gender:

\”His\” is a masculine possessive adjective referring to a male owner.

\”Her\” is a feminine possessive adjective referring to a female owner.

Please review the plural possessive adjectives. They show no gender.

Plural Possessive Adjectives

The plural possessive adjectives \”our\”, \”your\” and \”their\” indicate many owners. Remember:  Your can be singular and plural. 

You are learning to make adjective-noun combinations. Many adjectives covered in this lesson are repeated in the next chapter on Pronouns.

Next: Practice – Possessive Adjectives