Possessive pronouns english. Possessive pronouns in English

Natalya Glukhova

Possessive case of adjectives in English

29/04 2018

Good afternoon dear friends!
We have already found out that in English there are much fewer cases than in Russian, which is why it is easy to learn (read the article “Cases of nouns in English”). Did you know that not everything that is a pronoun in Russian is such in a foreign one? Therefore, in the article “Possessive case of adjectives in English” we will, in fact, talk about pronouns.

From this article you will learn:

How do they look

Let's first remember what it is. It is used to indicate ownership of something. For example, My cat is 7 years old (My cat is seven years old). The fact is that pronouns in this case are considered adjectives. I will present to you a table in the first column of which they appear in initial form, and in the second they are already possessive:

I	My
You	Your
He	His
She	Her
It	It's
We	Our
They	Their

As you remember, it refers to inanimate nouns, but it can also express ownership, since, in addition, it also replaces animals. The cat was eating its food.

Like all adjectives, possessives come directly before the subject they refer to: Their house is very big. Their belongs to house, so it comes before it.

Possessive adjectives

What to pay attention to:
It should be remembered that if a word is in plural, –s is not added to the adjective. Her gardens are really beautiful (Her gardens are very beautiful). Hers gardens are really beautiful.

However, the verb must be consistent with the noun, that is, if the noun is in singular, then the verb must also be singular. If the noun is plural, then so is the verb.

Examples:
Our car is expensive (Our car is expensive) – singular.
Our cars are expensive (Our cars are expensive) – plural.
His child is smart (His child is smart).
His children are smart (His children are smart).
Be careful with its and it's. Just one apostrophe, but so many differences! Indeed, in the second case, this is a shortened form of the verb to be - it is or from it has. Accordingly, the construction of sentences will be completely different:
The dog is playing with its toy (The dog is playing with his toy).
It’s (It is) a dog’s toy (This is a dog’s toy).
It’s (It has) been nice to see you (It was nice to see you).

False doubles

Pronouns have a possessive case (possessive pronoun). It looks very similar to the possessive adjective, but we add –s to almost everything at the end. Take a look at the table and compare them:

My	Mine
Your	Yours
His	His
Her	Hers
It's	It's
Our	Ours
Their	Theirs

Possessive pronouns

Why are they so similar? Possessive pronoun (second column) is used to avoid repeating information that is already obvious. Compare:
This phone is my phone, not your phone (This is my phone, not yours).
This phone is mine not yours.
Do you agree that the second sentence is much more compact than the first? Mine here replaces two words at once: my phone. Yours replaces your phone.

As you have already realized, a noun will never be placed after the words of the second column. Some of them have exactly the same form as adjectives. For example, its, and some are different: your – yours.

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In addition, you need to remember that they do not use an apostrophe.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns

They are also often used in the construction a friend + of + possessive pronouns.
For example, I’m going to see a friend of mine tonight (I’m going to see my friend today).

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They can also be found in a set expression used in a business letter when we finish it:
Yours faithfully (when we don’t know the name of the person with whom we are corresponding).
Yours sincerely (when we know the name).

Let's work through the material

In order for everything that I just told you to fit well into your head, you must definitely do the exercises.
In the missing places, insert the possessive adjective that suits the meaning:

She walks dog every day.
Example: She walks ____ her dog every day.
We are checking ____ luggage in, we will call you back later.
The cat was feeding ____ kittens when I came home.
He never leaves ____ car open.
Ellen’s parents have sold ____ yacht.
Have you found ____ keys?
I’m going to drink ____ coffee and then I’ll go to work.
Anna is going to Ireland with ____ sister.
Daniel likes playing tennis, it’s ____ favorite hobby.
Steve met ____ wife a year ago.
Paul and Lilly are going to see ____ parents tonight.

In the missing places, insert an appropriate adjective or pronoun. More than one option is possible.

He is not James’s friend, he is.
He is not James's friend. It's mine.
– Where is my coffee?
– Fred has dank ____ coffee.
Jenny was a friend of ____.
My city is big while ____ isn’t.
Has ____ father called?
Lucy talked to ____ grandmother yesterday.
It isn't my pencil. It is ____.
Mary has got two brothers. ____ names are Rick and John.
Our car is white and ____ is black.
Is it your tea? No it's not ____.
Don't touch this toy. It is not ____.
Janet can't find ____ bag.
Max is going on holidays with a friend of ____.
Mr. and Mrs. Stone love gardening. ____ garden is really lovely.
Look at this beautiful dog. ____ fur is so fluffy.

By the way, did you really know?

And finally, I offer an exercise for the youngest polyglots. If you are with the whole family, show this picture to your children and ask them to insert a word that makes sense.

We very often use possessive pronouns in both Russian and English. Do you think it’s enough to learn my, his, her, their? No, their use sometimes puts those who do not know all the secrets in an awkward position.

Ask yourself: what is a pronoun? Yes, a part of speech that replaces a noun or adjective. But a special group of Possessive Pronouns, so to speak, characterizes an object, phenomenon, property, indicating that it belongs to someone and answers the question whose? whose? whose? (whose?).

This is my note-book - This is my notebook.

Their decision was unexpected. “Their decision was unexpected.

Our car is broken. — Our car is broken.

What are the possessive pronouns in English?

This group takes its roots from personal pronouns in terms of education, and it is by comparing them that we will consider the use of these parts of speech. To make it easier to understand and remember, we will divide all Possessive Pronouns into two groups.

Possessives pronouns-adjectives. This name indicates that the listed parts of speech are before a noun, which it describes, characterizes it. IN in this case never no articles are used. However, after these possessive pronouns in English, there can be other definitions (adjectives), which come after them. I would also like to note that these pronouns are placed after all and both, if there are any in the offer. Let's dive into the examples and consider all the cases.

Her ticket is on the table. — Her ticket is on the table.

It isn't my bus. - This is not my bus.

Your friend came to see me yesterday. — Your friend visited me yesterday.

He gave me her address. — He gave me her address.

Where is mygreen pencil? - Where is my green pencil?

Hiselder brother writes poems. — His older brother writes poetry.

Allmy books are in the bag. — All my books are in my bag.

Bothhis friends smoke, but he doesn’t. Both of his friends smoke, but he doesn’t.

Possessives pronouns-nouns(or absolute form). This subgroup is used without a noun and performs its function as a subject, a nominal part of a predicate or an object. They can appear either at the end or in the middle of a sentence.

As can be seen from the table, they are identical in meaning and translation, but the formation and use will have to be remembered. To make it easier to remember, look: his - the two forms are the same, I changes to mine, and the ending -s is added to all the others. Let's look at examples where the absolute form is used. According to lexical norms, it is advisable to use it so as not to duplicate the noun that was used in the previous replica.

Are these your spectacles? - No, they are notmine. - Are these your glasses? No, they are not mine.

Her house is not far from ours.— Her house is not far from ours.

Does this book belong to Mary? - No, It's yours.— Does this book belong to Mary? - No, it's yours.

Her score was better than theirs.“Her score was better than theirs.”

We'll leave her house after dinner, so we should be at yours before 10.

Translation

When translating from English into Russian, problems usually do not arise. You just have to remember all the forms. But in English! Here you often come across bumps that cause you to trip painfully. To ensure you are on the right path to learning a language, remember some features:

1. In the Russian version they can stand "his, theirs" , which can be translated by English possessive and personal pronouns. The first ones answer the question whose? whose?, and the second - whom? What?

I saw him. - I saw him (someone - personal).

This is his watch. - This is his watch (whose - possessive).

I met them. - I met them (whom - personal).

This is their home. - This is their house (whose is possessive).

2. Russian is also often a dead end. "mine", because in English there is no corresponding form. Therefore, we translate with one of the possessive pronouns, which depends on the subject.

I gave my car to my son. — I have given my car to my son.

He lost his keys. — He has lost his keys.

They gave us their food. — They gave us their food.

I don't have a ticket. Can you sell me yours? — I haven’t got a ticket. Can you sell me yours?

3. Very often in Russian in general absentT possessive pronoun, and in English it should be. Only if the meaning “own” is intended should you use this part speech. This is where many people make the mistake of using the instead of a pronoun. More often this situation appears before nouns denoting parts of the body, family members, clothing.

I told my wife everything. — I have told everything to my wife (not the wife - means to his wife.)

They put their hands in their pockets. - They put their hands into their pockets (your hands in your pockets).

Put on your coat! —Put on your coat!

There is nothing complicated here. If you need to insert possessive pronouns in an English sentence, then look for the presence of a noun: if there is, then relative form, no - absolute. Of course, you need to do exercises to consolidate all the material.

Exercises

An old friend of (us, our, ours) telephoned yesterday and said he would visit (us, our, ours).
Is that picture on the wall (your, yours, you)?
(They, their, theirs) holiday starts the week after (we, our, ours).
Can we have (you, your, yours) suggestion first and then we’ll hear (he, him, his)?
I didn’t bother going to (she, her, hers) party and she won’t be coming to (me, my, mine).
(Us, our, ours) flight was delayed but (their, theirs, them) took off on time.
Can I borrow (your, yours, you) pen? — I’m sorry, it isn’t (my, mine, me).
Bob is one of (our, ours, us) best pupils.
She has no mistakes in (her, hers, she) test.
(My, mine, me) hands are cold, but (your, yours, you) are warm.

1. ours, us.
2.yours
3. theirs, ours
4. your, his
5. her, mine
6. ours, theirs
7. your, mine.
8.our
9. her
10. my, yours

We use pronouns to replace nouns in a sentence. Look at the word “pronoun” itself; it contains the main function of this part of speech: “ substitute", that is " instead of a noun" Pronouns are used to diversify speech and not repeat the same word from sentence to sentence.

There are several types of pronouns in English: , and possessive. We have given each type of pronouns Special attention in a separate article.

Let's see how a native speaker teacher Alex talks about words that show that someone owns something.

When we want to say that someone owns something, we use possessive forms. As you can see, Alex identified two forms: Possessive Adjectives And Possessive Pronouns .

Possessive adjectives

Let's start looking at possessive forms with possessive adjectives. Abroad these words are called Possessive Adjectives. Such words show a sign of an object, phenomenon or person, therefore they are classified as adjectives and not pronouns:

My book. - My book. (what book? – mine)
His friend. - His friend. (what friend? – his)

In Russian textbooks on English grammar it is written that my (your, his etc.) is a pronoun, but native English teachers insist that it is still an adjective, because it comes before a noun and defines it. Let's look at the sign:

Personal pronoun	Possessive adjective	Translation
I	My	My
You	Your	Is yours
He	His	His
She	Her	Her
It	It's	His her
We	Our	Our
You	Your	Your
They	Their	Their

My cat likes to play with a ball. – My the cat loves to play with the ball.

She wants to talk to your manager - She wants to talk to yours manager.

The teacher found his mistakes. - The teacher found his errors.

I like her dress. - I like her dress.

Our family likes to rest in Crimea, we adore its nature. – Our family loves to relax in Crimea, we adore his nature.

They look after our children. - They look after our children.

He is speaking with their mother - He's talking to their mom.

Please note: in all examples after my (his, their) goes a noun.

In the Russian language there is a universal word “svoy”, which we simply change according to numbers and persons. In English, the words “our”, “ours”, “ours” should be translated as “my”, “ours”, “his”/“hers”, respectively.

She cut mine finger. – She cut her finger.

I love my mom. – I love my mother

Do my work. – Do your work.

Possessive pronouns

If you need to replace a noun in a sentence, you must use one of the possessive pronouns. Usually the noun is replaced so that there is no repetition in the sentence.

This is not my pen, mine is purple. – This is not my pen, my purple one (replaced my pen on mine).

Personal pronoun	Possessive pronoun	Translation
I	Mine	My
You	Yours	Is yours
He	His	His
She	Hers	Her
It	It's	His her
We	Ours	Our
You	Yours	Your
They	Theirs	Their

Becky! That is mine! - This my, Becky!

My task is easier than yours. - My task is easier than your.

This is not his car, his is blue. - This is not his car. his– blue.

This is a friend of hers. - This her Friend.

It is not their house, theirs is bigger. - This is not their home their more.

The general rule for all possessive pronouns is that there is no need to use a noun after them, and, as a rule, it comes at the end of the sentence. And look at this couple: a friend of mine And my friend. Both phrases mean the same thing - my friend, only after a preposition of use possessive pronouns rather than adjectives ( a friend of mine).

It would seem that there is nothing simpler than the pronouns: “I, you, he, she - together the whole country", "It's yours for you, and it's mine for me." But how to say this in English? In today's article we will look at the basic rules for using personal and possessive pronouns in English.

Personal pronouns in English

In English, a personal pronoun is used instead of a noun that we know or have already mentioned. This allows you to avoid repetitions in speech.

This is Jim. Jim is a policeman. Jim lives in New York. - This Jim. Jim police officer. Jim lives in New York.

Agree, there is too much Jim for three sentences. This is easy to fix if we combine the two sentences into one and replace the name Jim with the pronoun he (he).

This is Jim. He is a policeman and lives in New York. - This Jim. He police officer and lives in New York.

A personal pronoun can be:

Subject pronoun
This pronoun is used in place of the subject in a sentence and denotes the one who performs the action. Subjective pronouns come before the verb and answer the questions “who?” So what?".
Object pronoun
The pronoun is used in a sentence instead of an object, that is, the action is directed to it. Object pronouns come after the verb and answer the questions “whom?/what?”, “to whom?/what?”, “whom?/what?”, “by whom?/what?”, “about whom?” / about what?".

Personal pronouns instead of subject

The table below shows personal pronouns that are used in English instead of the subject.

Now let's look at some features of these pronouns:

Pronoun I
I is always written with a capital letter.
I am a dreamer. - I dreamer.
Mom says I can do it. - Mom says that I I can do it.
If I is in a sentence next to another personal pronoun, then I is placed in second place.
She and I are best friends. - We With her best friends.
He and I played tennis together. - We With him played tennis.
Pronouns he, she and it
The pronouns he and she are used to refer to people. And to denote inanimate objects, phenomena and animals, the pronoun it is used.
You know Jane. She is kind and modest. - You know Jane. She kind and modest.
Did you see the new building yesterday? It is big. - Did you see the new building yesterday? It big.
And if you treat your pet as a member of the family, when talking about him, you can use he or she rather than it.
Your dog doesn't like me. It barks at me.
- My dog never barks at people. He's a good boy.
- Your dog doesn't love me. He barks at me.
- My dog never barks at people. He good boy.
The pronoun it is also used in impersonal sentences(in which there is no actor) to describe weather, time, distance, etc.
It's a quarter to nine. - It's fifteen minutes to nine now.
It's foggy outside. - It's foggy outside.
It's three kilometers between the villages. - The distance between the villages is three kilometers.
Pronoun you
You is translated as "you", "you" or "you" depending on the context, but agrees with the plural verb.
You look good in this dress. - You you look good in this dress.
You all are beautiful. - You everyone is beautiful.
Mrs. Walmer, I think you will be a good nurse. - Mrs. Walmer, I think You you will be a good nurse.

Personal pronouns instead of objects

In the table we present personal pronouns that are used instead of an object and appear in a sentence after the verb.

Personal pronouns
Singular	Plural
me (me, me, me, about me)	us (us, us, us, about us)
you (you, you, by you, about you)	you (you, to you, by you, about you)
him, her, it (his/her, him/her, im/her, about him/her)	them (their, them, them, about them)

Let's look at examples:

He will help me tomorrow. - He will help to me Tomorrow.
He told us the story. - He said us this story.

We also use these pronouns after the prepositions about, on, in, with, for and others.

Stay with us. - Stay with us.
I am doing this for her. - I'm doing it for her.

You can fix the topic and take tests in our articles “Personal pronouns in the English language” and “”.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns in English

In English there are two possessive forms:

Possessive adjectives
Possessive pronouns(possessive pronouns)

Both forms denote that something belongs to someone and answer the question “whose?/whose?/whose?/whose?”

Although this article is about pronouns, we will also cover adjectives so you don't get them confused.

Personal pronouns	Possessive adjectives	Possessive pronouns
I	my (my)	mine (my)
he	his (him)	his (him)
she	her (her)	hers (her)
it	its (his/her)	its (his/her)
we	our (our)	ours (our)
you	your (yours/yours)	yours (yours/yours)
they	their	theirs (theirs)

So what is the difference between a possessive adjective and a pronoun? A possessive adjective in English always comes before a noun and characterizes it.

This is my cup. - This my cup.
His phone is on the table. - His phone lies on the table.
Your music is annoying. - Your music annoys.

A possessive pronoun does not characterize a noun, but replaces the construction “possessive adjective + noun”. Most often, such pronouns appear at the end of a sentence.

Are those shoes mine? - Those shoes my?
It's their dog and that is ours. - This is their dog, and this is - our.
My dress is prettier than yours. - My dress is more beautiful yours.
Her cake was better than theirs. - Her cake was tastier than their.

We can also use a possessive pronoun after a noun with the preposition of.

This is Ross. He is a friend of me my mine. - This is Ross. He my Friend.

Also, possessive adjectives and pronouns have other features that should be remembered:

In English there is no pronoun corresponding to the Russian “svoy”. Therefore, we translate it according to the context using possessive adjectives or pronouns.
I'll take my(possessive adjective) bag and you take yours(possessive pronoun). - I will take my (mine) bag, and you take it my (yours).
Possessive adjective and possessive pronoun its written without an apostrophe. If you meet it's, then this is an abbreviation grammatical form: it’s = it + is.
The cat played with its(possessive adjective) toy. - The cat was playing with his a toy.
Formally, its exists as a possessive pronoun, but its use is avoided. It is used only with the pronoun own - its own (own, own).
Each district of the city has the charm of its own(possessive pronoun). - Every district of the city has your own Charm.

We have also collected for you the personal and possessive pronouns of the English language in one diagram for clarity. You can use it as a cheat sheet.

We invite you to watch a funny video from the Looney Tunes cartoon series. In this episode you will see how desperately the drake Daffy Duck tries to get hunter Elmer Fudd to shoot Bugs Bunny the rabbit. But Daffy has one problem - he gets confused about pronouns.

Try taking a short test on the use of personal and possessive pronouns in English.

Test on the topic “Personal and possessive pronouns in English”

We hope that our article helped you understand the features of the correct use of personal and possessive pronouns in English. If you want to practice the rules you have learned using examples that you understand, go to one of them.

Any student who begins to learn English from scratch on their own or with a teacher will already learn in the first lesson how to answer the question “ What's your name?” (Russian. What is your name?).

Answering “ My name is…“ (Russian. My name is...), he doesn’t even think that he already knows two possessive pronouns: my(my, mine, mine. mine) and your(Russian: yours, yours, yours, yours), without which it is impossible to communicate 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 in the same way we own our shoes? Do we own it all?

~ Samantha Harvey

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

In English grammar, two types of possessive pronouns peacefully coexist: Possessive Adjectives(possessive adjectives) and Possessive Pronouns(possessive pronouns). We will talk about them today in this article.

Possessive pronouns in English

Possessive pronouns help us understand that someone or something owns something. Signature on keychains: 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 attribute 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 vary in spelling and how they are used in a sentence.

Let's take a closer look at both forms of possessive pronouns in English.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive pronouns in English, reminiscent of an adjective in its 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 !

Offer He name was Carl(Russian. His name was Karl) sounds strange and incorrect 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 of possessive pronouns or Possessive Adjectives called dependent, since it cannot be used independently, 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 serve as a definition in a sentence.

Example sentences with possessive adjectives in English

Often, beginners learning English confuse possessive adjectives with abbreviated 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 abbreviated 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 Pronouns) in English are used without a noun and serve in a sentence as the subject, object, or nominal part of the predicate.

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 second the proposal sounds more natural. Let's look at how possessive pronouns are used in a sentence.

Examples of sentences with possessive pronouns in English

Sentence with 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 essays 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, but ours are terrible.
These aren't John and Mary's children. Theirs have black hair.	These are not John and Mary's children. Theirs are black-haired.
John found his passport but Mary couldn't find hers.	John found his passport, but Mary could not 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 it 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 there is an inscription with a shining example the use of possessive pronouns in the 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 followed by a noun:

This is my pen(Russian: This is my pen), where my– possessive adjective, pen – following noun.

Possessive pronouns ( Possessive Pronouns) are always used independently, 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.

Comparison chart of possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns.

The semantic load does not change in these two sentences. However, when we need to emphasize 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 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

In English there is no special possessive pronoun corresponding to the Russian possessive pronoun ""svoy"".

Russian pronoun ""your"" translated into English appropriate possessive pronouns.

Examples of sentences in English with translation of the pronoun your

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

In Russian, possessive pronouns are usually not used with similar nouns. 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(Russian: I saw one of your friends last night) = I saw one of your friends last night.

Here are some friends of mine(Russian: 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 will be translated the same way: “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” will be said about close friend. If you call a person “my friend”, it means 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: “a friend of mine”.

The indefinite article itself indicates to 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 the phrase "a friend of mine" associated with one funny fact. In English-speaking 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 "fiction". These incidents allegedly happen to a certain acquaintance of the narrator, and the name of the acquaintance is never specified.

Majority similar 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've probably already come across the phrases Yours faithfully or Yours sincerely at the end of an official letter, for example:

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

At business correspondence- This irreplaceable phrases, which should 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? - Jonah.)

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

The relationship 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 acquired knowledge, 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 as simply as possible the use of possessive pronouns in English and how to correctly answer the question “whose” in English.

We hope that after reading our article, you will no longer have any questions on 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 on possessive pronouns

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

Select correct option(insert either possessive adjective or possessive pronoun):

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/Your/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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