Unit 16 Dialogues - Possessives
1. Whose watch is this?
Oh, it's mine.
And whose pen is this?
It's Tim's, I think.
2. Whose CDs are these?
They're mine. Do you like them?
Sure, I've got the same CDs at home.
3. Who lives in that house?
Oh, that's the Jones' house. This is our house.
Your house is really nice.
Thanks.
Is this your car?
No that's not mine, it's my neighbor's. This is mine.
Key Vocabulary
Whose watch Same Jones - a common family name
mine these nice neighbor
Grammar
1. Possessives
Possessives show who or what something belongs to - they show possession.
Most nouns can be made possessive simply by adding 's. For example:
- The restaurant's food is very good.
- David Beckham's right foot is excellent.
- You can eat an apple's skin.
If the noun is plural and ends in "s", you add just '. For example:
girls is plural and ends in "s" so:'
- The girls' books are interesting. (The girls's books are interesting)
children is plural but doesn't end in "s" so we just add 's as normal:
- The children's books are interesting.
boss ends in "s" but is not plural, so again just add 's.
- The boss's office is very big.
This can however look and sound awkward, so you can sometimes just use ' instead. For
example with names:
Thomas's book, Tess's house can also be Thomas' book, Tess' house.
The basic rule is; if the noun is plural and ends in "s" add ' - otherwise just add 's.
2. Possessive Adjectives
Here are the possessive adjectives with example sentences. Notice that possessive adjectives
come before the noun.
Possessive Adjective Uncountable
My This is my book
Your (singular) Your car looks great.
Her Her watch is expensive.
His His house is on Chamber Street.
Our Our dog is cute.
Your (plural) Your friends are nice.
Their This is their ball.
Its The cat likes its food.
3. Possessive Pronouns
Here are the possessive pronouns with example sentences. Notice they never come before
nouns.
Possessive Pronoun Uncountable
My This book is mine.
Your (singular) That car is yours.
Her The expensive watch is hers.
His The house on Chamber Street is his.
Our The cute dog is ours.
Your (plural) Those friends are yours.
Their This ball is theirs.
Its
There is no possessive pronoun for its, so you cannot say "The book is its". Also possessive
pronouns often come at the end of sentences and are usually stressed. "This is my book" can be
have a fairly factual meaning, but "This book is mine" stresses more strongly whose book it is.
Now try and put it all into practice!
Grammar Exercises
Make the possessive form of the nouns given.
Example: My brother's house is in London. (brother)
1. My shirt is purple. (friend)
2. The books are on the desk. (girls)
3. It's birthday on Monday. (John)
4. Do you have newspaper? (today)
5. The bags are in the bedroom. (children)
6. My office is next to mine. (boss)
7. Your uncle is your brother. (father)
8. Your aunt is your sister. (mother)
9. My birthdays are next month. (friends)
10. A tail is long. (monkey)
1. friend's 2. girls' 3. John's 4. today's 5. children's
6. boss's 7. father's 8. mother's 9. friends' 10. monkey's
Grammar Exercises 2
Add the correct possessive adjective or pronoun.
Example: I have a pencil, it's my pencil. It's mine.
1. She has a book, it's book. It's .
2. You have an umbrella, it's umbrella. It's .
3. They have some magazines, they're magazines. They're
.
4. Here is Bob's house. It's house.
5. These are Tom and Jackie's bags. They're bags.
6. I have a puppy. It's .
7. Tyler's brother has a new apartment. It's .
1. her 2. Hers 3. Your 4. Yours 5. their
6. theirs 7. His 8. Their 9. Mine 10. his
Dialogue Exercises
Example: My name is Jeremy.
1. watch is this?
Oh, it's .
And whose pen is this?
It's , I think.
2. Whose CDs are ?
They're . Do you like them?
Sure, I've the CDs at home.
There are bookstores in the center of town. Let's go this afternoon.
3. lives in that house?
Oh, that's the Jones' house. This is house.
Your house is really nice.
Is this car?
No that's not mine, it's my . This is mine.
1. Whose 2. Mine 3. Tim's 4. These 5. mine
6. got 7. Who 8. Our 9. Your 10. neighbor's
