Showing who owns without saying the name
You already know one way to show owning.
“Ava’s hat blew off.”
Here is another way.
“Her hat blew off.”
The word “her” does the same job that “Ava’s” did. It shows who owns the hat. It does that without naming her again.
Words like this are possessive pronouns. Each one stands in for an owner.
The whole set
| Owner | Owning word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| me | my | my glove |
| you | your | your turn |
| one boy or man | his | his bike |
| one girl or woman | her | her hat |
| one animal or thing | its | its bowl |
| me and somebody else | our | our fort |
| more than one other | their | their bikes |
Seven words. You use most of them every day without thinking about it.
What comes next matters
An owning word nearly always has the thing being owned right behind it.
“my glove” and “her hat” and “their bikes”. Word, then thing.
That pairing tells you the word is doing the owning job.
Words to know
- possessive pronoun: a word that shows who owns something without naming them
Your turn
Which owning word fits?
- “Leo lost ____ cup.” (Leo owns it)
- “Ava painted ____ picture.” (Ava owns it)
- “The ducks left ____ pond.” (the ducks own it)
Check your answers
- “his cup”
- “her picture”
- “their pond”
Remember
- A possessive pronoun shows who owns something.
- It stands in for the owner’s name.
- The thing being owned comes right after it.