Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose

A2 — Pronouns

my book → the book is mine; the full my/mine grid, whose-questions and the of mine pattern (a friend of mine)

I can use the my/mine grid, ask whose-questions and say a friend of mine.

my book → the book is mine; the full my/mine grid, whose-questions and the of mine pattern (a friend of mine)

Examples

Whose umbrella is this? - Not mine; mine has a broken rib like a true veteran. — Whose umbrella is this? - Not mine; mine has a broken rib like a true veteran.
A colleague of mine swapped desks with a friend of hers - office diplomacy. — A colleague of mine swapped desks with a friend of hers - office diplomacy.

PronounsA2

Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose

my book → the book is mine; the full my/mine grid, whose-questions and the of mine pattern (a friend of mine)

Learning Goal

I can use the my/mine grid, ask whose-questions and say a friend of mine.

Exam Skills:A2 Key ListeningB1 Preliminary Reading

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

Whose umbrella is this? - Not mine; mine has a broken rib like a true veteran.

Whose umbrella is this? - Not mine; mine has a broken rib like a true veteran.

A colleague of mine swapped desks with a friend of hers - office diplomacy.

A colleague of mine swapped desks with a friend of hers - office diplomacy.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

Two columns - with a noun and instead of it:

+ noun	alone
my	mine
your	yours
his / her	his / hers
our	ours
their	theirs

Asking about owners: Whose coat is this? - It's hers. The of-pattern: a friend of mine (one of my friends). No apostrophes in yours/hers/theirs: *your's is always wrong.

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

Practice Exercises

*This book is my → mine
*your's / *her's → yours / hers: no apostrophe
whose/who's confused: whose = owner, who's = who is

Common Error Patterns

my used alone

Standalone slot → mine/yours/hers

Apostrophes in yours/hers

Possessive pronouns never take apostrophes

Whose umbrella is this? - Not mine; mine has a broken rib like a true veteran.

whose question + standalone mine twice.

A colleague of mine swapped desks with a friend of hers - office diplomacy.

of mine / of hers: the double-genitive pattern.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in A2 course exercises

A2 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose used?: Asking about owners: Whose coat is this? - It's hers . The of-pattern: a friend of mine (one of my friends). No apostrophes in yours/hers/theirs: *your's is always wrong.
What are common mistakes with Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose?: *This book is my → mine *your's / *her's → yours / hers: no apostrophe whose/who's confused: whose = owner, who's = who is

+ noun

alone

mine

your

yours

his / her

his / hers

our

ours

their

theirs

Frequently asked questions

When is Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose used?

Asking about owners: Whose coat is this? - It's hers . The of-pattern: a friend of mine (one of my friends). No apostrophes in yours/hers/theirs: *your's is always wrong.

What are common mistakes with Possessive pronouns: mine, yours, whose?

*This book is my → mine *your's / *her's → yours / hers: no apostrophe whose/who's confused: whose = owner, who's = who is