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Learning Zone
Grammar

How we use possesive & reflexive pronouns?

Level: B1
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POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS
REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS

Possessive pronouns show ownership of a person, place, or thing. A noun must be used before a possessive pronoun. Possessive pronouns replace nouns.

POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE

singularplural
my
yours
his
her
its
our
your
their

POSSESSIVE PRONOUN

singularplural
mine
yours
his
hers
its
our
your
their

“My” is a possessive adjective, always stands before a noun. 

Use of a possessive adjective without a noun is impossible. In this situation, the use of a possessive pronoun is needed instead.

This is my piggy bank!
This piggy bank is mine.

This is my ticket and that is yours.
What do you think about his idea? I prefer hers.
Let’s go in your car. Ours has broken down.


REFLEXIVE PRONOUNS

In English, a reflexive pronoun has a different form for every person:

emphatic & reflexive pronoun – singularemphatic & reflexive pronoun – plural
myself
yourself
himself
herself
itself
ourselves
yourselves
themselves

These are verbs used with a possessive pronoun:

behave oneself
cut oneself
kill oneself
help oneself
hurt oneself
look after oneself

“Oneself” is an impersonal form that in the sentence takes a specific personal form:

He killed himself after his wife died.
I cut myself when I was shaving.
Are you enjoying yourselves?

Possessive pronouns may also appear after prepositions:

Sometimes she talks to herself.
I’ll pay for myself.

The same pronoun appears in definite meaning to stress that a particular person has done something by oneself:

I didn’t do it myself. My brother helped me.
The owner himself showed us to our rooms.

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