What are possessives in English?

They are the forms that answer whose. The set has four members: possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their), possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), possessive nouns (Clara's, the children's, the teachers'), and of-phrases (the end of the road). Which one you pick depends on whether the owner is a pronoun or a noun, and on whether you still need to name the owned thing.

What is the difference between my and mine?

My goes in front of a noun (my ticket). Mine replaces my plus that noun (the ticket is mine). The same split runs through your/yours, her/hers, our/ours, and their/theirs. His is identical in both roles, which is why His coat is on the chair and The coat is his are both correct.

When do I use 's and when do I use of?

Use 's with people, animals, and many time words: the doctor's appointment, the dog's lead, a day's work. Use of for parts of objects and for long or inanimate owners: the bottom of the page, the views of the residents who attended. Both are possible with organisations (the company's policy, the policy of the company); 's is shorter, of is more formal.

Do possessive pronouns take an apostrophe?

No. Yours, hers, its, ours, and theirs are complete words. Your's, her's, and it's (when you mean belonging) are always errors. The apostrophe belongs on nouns (the doctor's bag) and on contractions (it's raining = it is raining). Whose follows the same rule: belonging has no apostrophe; who's means who is.

Can I say the my car or Clara's the bag?

No. My, the, this, and a possessive noun all occupy the same determiner slot, so only one of them can appear. All my notes and both Clara's brothers are fine, because all and both sit in a different slot in front of the determiner. The extra article is the word to delete.

English grammar · Beginner

Possessives in English: My, Mine, Clara's, and Of-Phrases

Written by Eleanor Whitfield, Lead English Curriculum Editor · Reviewed September 2026

Possessives are the words and endings English uses to say who something belongs to, or who it is connected with. The system has four parts that work together: possessive adjectives (my bag), possessive pronouns (the bag is mine), possessive nouns (Clara's bag, the children's coats), and of-phrases (the roof of the cathedral). Choose the form by whether the owner is a pronoun or a noun, and by whether the owned thing is named again or already understood.

Is this bag yours, or is it Clara's?

yours stands alone; Clara's marks a noun with 's

What it is

English does not have one possessive form. It has a small closed set of determiners that sit in front of a noun (my, your, his, her, its, our, their), a matching set of pronouns that replace that noun (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), an ending 's or s' that you add to a noun (the doctor's bag, the doctors' bags), and an of-phrase that names the owner after the thing (the end of the road). They all answer whose, but they occupy different slots, so you cannot mix them: mine bag and the bag of me are both impossible, and Clara's and her can describe the same bag without ever appearing in the same slot.

This is my seat. This seat is mine. This is Luca's seat. This is the back of the chair. (Four ways of talking about belonging, each with its own grammar.)

How to spot it

Ask whose, then look at the shape of the answer. A short word in front of a noun is a possessive adjective. The same meaning with no noun after it is a possessive pronoun. A name or noun with an apostrophe is a possessive noun. An of-phrase puts the owner after the thing instead of before it.

Leave your wet boots by the radiator. (your + noun: possessive adjective)
Ours is the house with the green door. (ours stands alone: possessive pronoun)
Clara's thesis is due on Friday. (name + 's: possessive noun)
the handle of the suitcase (of-phrase: the part named first, the whole named after of)

His is the same word as adjective and pronoun (his coat, the coat is his). Every other pair changes: my/mine, your/yours, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs. Its almost never stands alone.

Possessives Quick Reference

The four possessive forms as one system

Form	What it looks like	When you use it
Possessive adjective	my, your, his, her, its, our, their + noun	the owned thing is named: my keys
Possessive pronoun	mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs	the owned thing is already known: the keys are mine
Possessive noun with 's	Clara's bag, the child's coat, James's bike	the owner is a person, animal, or time word
Possessive noun with s'	the students' essays, the Smiths' garden	the owner is a regular plural already ending in s
Of-phrase	the roof of the cathedral, a friend of mine	parts of things, long noun phrases, or one of a set
Whose	Whose coat is this? Whose is this?	asking about ownership, with or without a noun
No apostrophe on pronouns	yours, hers, its, ours, theirs	never your's, her's, it's for belonging
One determiner only	my car, Clara's car, the car	not the my car, not Clara's the car

Common Possessives Examples in English

Possessives grouped by the job they do in the sentence, so you can see the four forms covering the same meaning in different slots:

Naming the Owner in Front of a Noun

I left my scarf on the train.: my: the speaker is the owner
The museum has lost its funding.: its for a thing, no apostrophe
Their neighbours complain about the piano.: their for a plural owner
Omar's sister lectures in Bergen.: a name takes 's even when the next noun is a person

The word in this slot is a determiner: it replaces a and the rather than combining with them.

Avoiding a Repeated Noun

Is this notebook yours or mine?: two pronouns, notebook understood
Our results came in before theirs.: theirs = their results
I haven't got a charger; can I borrow his?: his as a pronoun: his charger
Hers was the only application that arrived on time.: hers as the subject

If you can drop the noun and the sentence still names the owner, you need a possessive pronoun, not an adjective.

Marking a Noun as the Owner

the women's changing room: irregular plural: 's after women
the players' entrance: regular plural: apostrophe after the s
yesterday's meeting: time nouns take 's too
a week's notice: measure of time as owner

People, animals, and time words take 's readily. Large, inanimate things more often take of: the roof of the cathedral, not usually the cathedral's roof in careful style, though both occur.

Putting the Owner After the Thing

the back of the chair: a part of a thing: of-phrase is the default
the arrival of the first train: a long or abstract owner sits more comfortably after of
a colleague of mine: of + possessive pronoun: one of my colleagues
the name of the street we turned into: when the owner is a whole clause, of is the only option

Of mine, of yours, of hers is the pattern for one member of a set. Of me and of my are both wrong here.

How Possessives Work

Four choices, made in order: who the owner is, whether the owned noun is repeated, whether the owner is singular or plural, and whether an of-phrase would be clearer.

Match the Form to the Owner, Not to the Thing

Possessive adjectives and pronouns agree with the person who owns, never with the thing owned. A woman's books are her books, a man's sister is his sister, and a company's policy is its policy. This is the reverse of many languages, where the possessive agrees with the noun that follows it.

Anna sold her motorbike. Tom sold his motorbike.

her because Anna is female, his because Tom is male; motorbike does not decide

Owner chooses the form.

Use an Adjective With a Noun, a Pronoun Without One

My, your, her, our, and their cannot stand alone; mine, yours, hers, ours, and theirs cannot be followed by a noun. His is the exception that does both jobs. Mixing the two sets is the most common possessive error: mine keys and the keys are my are both ungrammatical.

These keys are mine. These are my keys.

pronoun alone, adjective plus noun

Noun present: adjective. Noun gone: pronoun.

Add 's to a Noun Owner, s' to a Regular Plural

A singular noun, and any plural that does not already end in s, takes 's: the girl's coat, the children's coats, the men's locker room. A regular plural that already ends in s takes only the apostrophe: the girls' coats. The sound is often the same; the writing records whether the owner is one or more.

the student's desk, the students' desks

one student, then more than one

One owner: 's. Regular plural owners: s'.

Prefer Of for Parts, Long Phrases, and Things

When the owner is a thing rather than a person, or when the owner is a long phrase, English often puts of after the head noun: the door of the shed, the opinions of the people who live here. 's is still possible with organisations and places (the company's logo, London's parks), but of is the safe default for inanimate owners and for anything you would not want to hang an ending on.

the hinge of the gate, the title of the opening chapter

parts and sections take of

People take 's. Parts of things take of.

Never Combine Two Central Determiners

A noun phrase has one slot for a, the, this, my, or a possessive noun. The my car, Clara's the bag, and this my idea are all blocked. Quantifiers can stand in front (all my notes, both Clara's brothers), because they occupy a different slot, but the central determiner itself is one per phrase.

all my notes; Clara's brothers

all plus my works; the plus my never does

One central determiner per noun.

Common Mistakes with Possessives

Incorrect: This is mine coat.

Correct: This is my coat.

Mine already includes the noun, so it cannot be followed by one. When coat is present, the adjective my is required. The reverse error, The coat is my, is the same mix-up in the other direction.

Incorrect: The childrens' toys were everywhere.

Correct: The children's toys were everywhere.

Children is an irregular plural that does not end in s, so it takes 's, just as a singular noun does. The apostrophe-after-s spelling is only for regular plurals: the girls' toys.

Incorrect: It's battery is dead.

Correct: Its battery is dead.

It's always means it is or it has. The possessive adjective, in line with his and hers, has no apostrophe. If you cannot replace the word with it is, write its.

Incorrect: The bicycle of Marta is outside.

Correct: Marta's bicycle is outside.

When the owner is a person named with a short noun, 's is the default. Of-phrases are for parts of things, long owners, and the of mine pattern, not for a simple personal owner.

Its, Who's, and Of Mine

Three corners of the system that look like punctuation problems but are really choices of form.

Its and it's, whose and who's

Possessive its and whose never take an apostrophe. It's and who's are contractions of it is / it has and who is / who has. Expand the word: if is or has fits, keep the apostrophe; if you mean belonging, drop it.

The laptop is overheating; its fan is loud.: belonging to the laptop
It's been a long week.: it has been
Whose keys are on the counter? Who's coming with us?: belonging versus who is

The same test splits your and you're, their and they're: if you are or they are fits, you need the contraction, not the possessive.

A friend of mine

To mean one of my friends without listing them, English uses a noun plus of plus a possessive pronoun. The pattern works for every person: a neighbour of ours, that dog of theirs, some idea of hers.

A former tutor of mine still writes to me.: one of my former tutors
That remark of his was uncalled for.: a particular remark belonging to him
Some cousins of theirs are visiting in May.: plural: some plus of plus theirs

A friend of me and a friend of my are both wrong. A friend of Clara's, with a possessive noun, is the same pattern with a name.

Quick Check: Possessives

Choose the possessive form that fits each gap.

1. Is this umbrella ___ or ___? (you / I)

Answer: yours, mine

no noun follows, so pronouns

2. ___ (The cat) bowl is empty. Use the possessive adjective.

Answer: Its

its, no apostrophe

3. Rewrite with 's: the bikes that belong to the children.

Answer: the children's bikes

irregular plural takes 's

4. Rewrite with an of-phrase: the church's roof.

Answer: the roof of the church

a part of a thing prefers of

5. A neighbour of ___ (we) keeps bees.

Answer: ours

of plus possessive pronoun

Possessives FAQs

What are possessives in English?: They are the forms that answer whose. The set has four members: possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their), possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs), possessive nouns (Clara's, the children's, the teachers'), and of-phrases (the end of the road). Which one you pick depends on whether the owner is a pronoun or a noun, and on whether you still need to name the owned thing.
What is the difference between my and mine?: My goes in front of a noun (my ticket). Mine replaces my plus that noun (the ticket is mine). The same split runs through your/yours, her/hers, our/ours, and their/theirs. His is identical in both roles, which is why His coat is on the chair and The coat is his are both correct.
When do I use 's and when do I use of?: Use 's with people, animals, and many time words: the doctor's appointment, the dog's lead, a day's work. Use of for parts of objects and for long or inanimate owners: the bottom of the page, the views of the residents who attended. Both are possible with organisations (the company's policy, the policy of the company); 's is shorter, of is more formal.
Do possessive pronouns take an apostrophe?: No. Yours, hers, its, ours, and theirs are complete words. Your's, her's, and it's (when you mean belonging) are always errors. The apostrophe belongs on nouns (the doctor's bag) and on contractions (it's raining = it is raining). Whose follows the same rule: belonging has no apostrophe; who's means who is.
Can I say the my car or Clara's the bag?: No. My, the, this, and a possessive noun all occupy the same determiner slot, so only one of them can appear. All my notes and both Clara's brothers are fine, because all and both sit in a different slot in front of the determiner. The extra article is the word to delete.