Examples of Possessive Pronouns

A pronoun is a word that replaces a noun in a sentence, making the subject a person or a thing. Possessive pronouns are pronouns that demonstrate ownerships.

Possessive Pronouns: Used in Sentences

Possessive pronouns include my, mine, our, ours, its, his, her, hers, their, theirs, your, yours, whose, and one's - all words that demonstrate ownership.

Here are some examples of possessive pronouns used in sentences:

• I saw her book on your table.
• His hair is longer than hers.
• My dog is better than their dog.
• The kids are yours, mine, and ours.
• Whose book is on our desk?
• One’s treasure is special.
• The house is theirs and its paint is flaking.
• Is his car really that fast?
• The money was really theirs for the taking.
• We shall finally have what is rightfully ours.
• Their mother gets along well with yours.
• I never did find out whose phone number that was.
• What's mine is yours, my friend.
• Never underestimate one's value to his family.
• Her timing couldn't have been less appropriate.
• The dog is mine.
• The cat is yours.
• My house is small.
• Our house is big.
• Its color is red.
• The ring is hers.
• The bag is theirs.

Pronouns with Gerunds

One thing that can be confusing is the use of possessive pronouns with gerunds.  Look at this sentence:

I couldn’t take him griping anymore.

What couldn’t I take anymore, “him” or the “griping”? The sentence is ambiguous. The correct way is to use a possessive pronoun. Here is the correct sentence:

I couldn’t take his griping anymore.

A few more examples like this are:

• Your taking the prize was a nice surprise.
• The children make their beds without my asking them to.
• Their singing inspired us.
• I so appreciated his helping out.
• Her coming to us was the right thing to do.
• I appreciate your understanding of the matter.
• I feel bad at his missing this opportunity.
• Their mocking of him was inappropriate.

• I loved listening to his singing.

These examples help to illustrate not only what possessive pronouns are but also how they can be used to make a sentence more clear.

Possessive pronouns are essential for writing and communication so the reader or listener knows to whom an item belongs.