Do you know what possessive pronouns are? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on possessive pronouns, including the definition, usage, example sentences, and more!
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Kevin
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November 16, 2021
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What is an absolute possessive pronoun?
According to Grammarly, absolute possessive pronouns show that something belongs to someone. The list of personal pronouns show ownership and are my, our, your, his, her, its, their, mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, and theirs in English grammar. This type of pronoun shows the possession of a noun. These are never spelled with apostrophes, which is a common mistake. Independent possessive pronouns and absolute possessive pronouns must be used without a noun, unlike possessive adjectives, object pronouns, or personal pronouns. These possessive forms show a noun’s possession as well as singular or plural form and 1st person, 2nd person or 3rd person. Absolute possessives take the place of a noun of a specific person or thing.
Many different languages also contain words that mean possessive pronouns. You may notice that some of these translations of possessive pronouns look and sound similar to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases in different languages that likely have the same root or language of origin, causing them to sound the same. The below list of translations of possessive pronouns is provided by Word Sense.
- Slovene: svojilni zaimek (masc.)
- Swedish: possessivt pronomen (neut.)
- Lithuanian: savybinis įvardis (masc.)
- Finnish: possessiivipronomini
- Spanish: pronombre posesivo (masc.)
- Esperanto: posesiva pronomo, poseda pronomo, posesivo
- Mandarin: 所有格代名詞, 所有格代名词 (suǒyǒugé dàimíngcí), 物主代詞, 物主代词 (wùzhǔ dàicí)
- Polish: zaimek dzierżawczy (m-in)
- Icelandic: eignarfornafn (neut.), efn. (neut.)
- German: besitzanzeigendes Fürwort (neut.); Possessivpronomen (neut.), Possessivum (neut.), Possessiv (neut.)
- Catalan: pronom possessiu (masc.)
- Russian: притяжа́тельное местоиме́ние (neut.)
- Portuguese: pronome possessivo (masc.)
- Danish: possessivt pronomen (neut.), possesivpronomen (neut.), ejestedord (neut.)
- Nogai: тартым авыс
- Dutch: bezittelijk voornaamwoord (neut.)
- Faroese: ognarfornavn (neut.)
- Scottish Gaelic: riochdair seilbheach (masc.)
- Macedonian: посвојна заменка
- Korean: 소유대명사 (soyu-daemyeongsa)
- Ancient Greek: κτητική ἀντωνυμία (fem.)
- Novial: posesivi pronomine
- Greek: κτητική αντωνυμία (fem.)
- French: pronom possessif (masc.)
- Romanian: pronume posesiv (neut.)
- Italian: pronome possessivo (masc.)
- Irish: forainm sealbhach
- Latin: pronomen possessivum (neut.)
- Hungarian: birtokos névmás
- Japanese: 所有代名詞 (しょゆうだいめいし, shoyū daimeishi)
What are examples of absolute possessive pronouns?
A possessive pronoun can be used in many different contexts in the English language. Trying to use a word or literary technique in a sentence is one of the best ways to memorize what it is, but you can also try making flashcards or quizzes that test your knowledge. Try using this term of the day in a sentence today! The following sentences are examples of possessive pronouns from Your Dictionary, Literary Devices and Grammar Monster that can help get you started incorporating this tool into your everyday use. These can come at the end of a sentence. Try to use the term possessive pronouns today or notice when someone else is using a possessive pronoun.
- We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them. (Evelyn Waugh, 1903-1966)
- The dog is mine.
- Did they show you theirs?
- The cat is yours.
- The ring is hers.
- I always check if the art across the street is better than mine. (Artist Andy Warhol)
- I loved listening to his singing.
- I found my university jobs by going to speak with thiem in person, but my daughter found hers online like the other work-study kids. Now she works in a bookshop that sells everything from Stephen King to the Bible.
- A wife should no more take her husband’s name than he should hers. My name is my identity and must not be lost. (Rights campaigner Lucy Stone)
- They say female canaries can’t sing. Well, hers can.
- The kids are yours and mine.
- Nobody knew that Michael was going to his court date tomorrow.
- Anne and her New York lawyers sued the company.
- Her coming to us with the pen was the right thing to do.
- “Mine is a long and sad tale!’ said the Mouse, turning to Alice, and sighing.
- “It is a long tail, certainly’ said Alice, looking down with wonder at the Mouse’s tail; ‘but why do you call it sad?” – Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (by Lewis Carroll)
- All students must take their invites to the receptionist in the commons cafeteria.
- People who have given us their complete confidence believe that they have a right to ours. The inference is false, a gift confers no rights. (Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche)
- This typo – is this yours?
- The money was really theirs for the taking.
- “It’s really hard to be roommates with people if your suitcases are much better than theirs.” – The Catcher in the Rye (by J.D. Salinger)
- The bag is theirs.
- Daisy baked cookies for his own graduation.
- Yours are bigger than ours.
- The house is theirs and its paint is flaking.
- I so appreciated his helping out.
- “Woman must have her freedom – the fundamental freedom of choosing whether or not she shall be a mother and how many children she will have. Regardless of what man’s attitude may be, that problem is hers – and before it can be his, it is hers alone.” – Woman and the New Race (by Margaret Sanger)
- Their mother gets along well with yours.
- Theirs are in the garage.
- I appreciate your understanding of the matter.
- Their singing inspired us.
- We shall finally have what is rightfully ours.
- Use his tomorrow morning.
- Your taking the prize was a nice surprise.
- You can use ours.
- Jane’s name was given to her by her own grandmother.
- “Go on, get inside the TARDIS. Oh, never given you a key? Keep that. Go on, that’s yours. Quite a big moment really!” – The Poison Sky (by Helen Raynor)
- What’s mine is yours, my friend.
- I like hers.
- The neighbour next door, Sarah, knew the power outage was her own fault as she did not read the instructions.
- I feel bad at his missing this opportunity.
- Their mocking of him was inappropriate.
- Most of the fans liked their bicycles, but James hated his.
- This house is bigger than mine.
- While my paycheck is small, his doesn’t fit in his wallet. Sometimes I wish he wasn’t my ex.
- Humans are the only animals that have children on purpose with the exception of guppies, who like to eat theirs. (Satirist P J O’Rourke)
- I enjoy the poetry of Shakespeare, but as for Joyce – well, I could take or leave his.
- The children make their beds without my asking them to.
Overall, an absolute possessive pronoun shows possession of a noun.
Sources:
- possessive pronoun: meaning, translation | Word Sense
- Spanish Possessive Pronouns Grammar Tip | Happy Languages
- Possessive Pronoun – Examples and Definition of Possessive Pronoun | Literary Devices
- Possessive Pronoun | What Are Possessive Pronouns? | Grammar Monster
- Possessive Pronouns: Rules and Examples | Grammarly
- Examples of Possessive Pronouns in Sentences | Your Dictionary
