Possessive adjectives in English

What are possessive adjectives?

Possessive adjectives, also known as possessive determiners, are used to show a possession or a relationship between the owner and the thing that is owned. They modify a noun by showing who possess it, therefore they are placed in front of the noun they modify. However, when other adjectives are also used to describe a given noun the possessive adjectives must be placed in front of the other adjective. 

 Warning: Possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns are similarly written, however, they are used for different things and are not interchangeable. 

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Possessive adjectives examples

Possessive adjectives list: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their

Difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns 

Possessive pronouns indicate an ownership or a possession of the noun that is discussed in the sentence. Unlike possessive adjectives which modify the noun, they fully replace it in a sentence. Most commonly they can be found at the end of a sentence. 

Possessive pronouns

Possessive pronouns list: mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, yours, theirs

Possessive adjective "Own"

The possessive adjective own is used when one wants to not only state a possession belongs to someone but to emphasize it belongs only to that person and nobody else.

Structure: Possessive adjective + own + noun

Examples:

• I have my own way of doing things. 
• We grow our own vegetables here. 
• She designed her own suit.