possessive adjectives

Possessive adjectives are determiners that show ownership or relationship between a person and a noun. They answer the question "Whose?" and always come before a noun. The seven possessive adjectives in English are:

| Subject Pronoun | Possessive Adjective | Example | |-----------------|---------------------|----------| | I | my | my book | | you | your | your pen | | he | his | his car | | she | her | her house | | it | its | its tail | | we | our | our school | | they | their | their parents |

Key Grammatical Rules:

1. Possessive adjectives never change form regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural: my book / my books ✓
2. They must always be followed by a noun: This is my ✗ vs This is my bag ✓
3. Agreement rule: The possessive adjective matches the possessor (owner), not the thing possessed: His mother (male possessor) / Her father (female possessor)

Cambridge Definition: Possessive adjectives are function words that modify nouns to indicate possession or close association with a person or thing.

Memory Aid - "PYTHIO" Mnemonic: Positive You'll Talk Happily If Ownership's clear (Your, Their, His, Its, Our)

Possessive adjectives differ from possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs), which replace nouns entirely: This is my book (adjective) vs This book is mine (pronoun).

Think of possessive adjectives as name tags that label who owns what. Just as you'd put a name tag on your luggage at an airport, possessive adjectives "tag" nouns to show relationships.

Real-World Application 1: School Environment

• "Please put your homework on my desk before our lesson starts."
• The teacher uses your (addressing students), my (teacher's desk), and our (shared lesson).

Real-World Application 2: Family Descriptions

• "My sister loves her cat, but its behaviour annoys our parents."
• Notice how her refers to the sister (female possessor), while its refers to the cat (animal/thing).

Real-World Application 3: Technology Context

• "I can't find my phone. Is this your charger? Their WiFi password is different from our one."

Important Distinction - Its vs It's: This causes confusion worldwide! Think of its as the possessive twin and it's as the contraction twin:

• Its (possessive) = The dog wagged its tail (the tail belongs to it)
• It's (it is/it has) = It's raining today (It is raining)

Analogy: Possessive adjectives are like keys on a keyring—each key (adjective) opens a specific door (shows specific ownership), and you must choose the correct key for each lock.

Cultural Context: In Cambridge assessments, expect contexts involving: family relationships, school situations, personal belongings, and daily routines—all requiring accurate possessive adjective use.