Carmel Beach, California "dog heaven"
Possessive Determiners / Pronouns
Indicating Ownership
Dog Blog
Carmel by the Sea is a dog's dream. Dogs can run to their heart's content on its beautiful, white, sandy, mile-long beach. Carmel Beach on the Central Coast of California is one of the few pet-friendly beaches that allows dogs to run free.
heart's content – complete inner satisfaction
No leash is required. Dogs freely socialize with other dogs or play fetch with their buddies in the surf . Pet owners from miles around come for long, dog-tiring walks on this beach.
leash (n.) – a long leather or fabric tie that attaches to a dog's collar.
play fetch – follow and bring back the ball
Pronouns
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE DETERMINER | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|
Use a subject pronoun with have in a simple statement of possession or ownership. |
Use a possessive pronoun to express possession or ownership. |
Use a posessive subject pronoun to shorten a pronoun phrase when the item of possession has already been mentioned. |
We have a dog |
Our dog is very clever. |
Ours is very clever. (our dog) |
Lea has a chihuahua. |
Her chihuahua is tiny. |
Hers is tiny. (her chihuahua) |
Sammy has a golden retriever. |
His golden retriever is hunting ducks. |
His is hunting ducks. (his golden retriever) |
My sisters are raising a poodle. |
Their poodle is doing calculus. |
Theirs is doing calculus. (their poodle) |
I have a dachshund. |
My dachshund is always eating. |
Mine is always eating. (my dachshund) |
The dog has a bed. |
Its/her/his bed is over there. |
Its/Hers/His is over there. (its bed) |
More Info - Pronouns
Determiners and Pronouns
| POSSESSIVE DETERMINERS | POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
The following words are pssessive determiners. We cannot use an article with any of them. |
The following words are possessive pronouns. Each word takes the place of the possessive determiner + the noun. |
||
SINGULAR My dog |
|
SINGULAR Mine |
|
Plural Our dog |
|
PLURAL Ours |
|
You, One & They
Impersonal Pronouns
One, You & They
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE | POSSESSIVE SUBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|
ONE |
|
|
One is often used in general statements when we are talking about anyone, at any time. One includes the speaker and the listener. It is more formal than you. |
||
One should exercise one's dog. |
One's dog should get plenty of exercise. |
*One's should get plenty of exercise. Not used |
YOU |
|
|
You is often used in general statements when we are talking about anyone, at any time. You is directed to the listener. It does not include the speaker. You as an impersonal pronoun is informal. |
||
You should exercise your dog. |
Your dog should get plenty of exercise. |
Yours should get plenty of exercise. This pronoun becomes specific and is not understood as a generalization. |
THEY |
|
|
They is used to make general statements about somewhere else. It refers to a vague group in another place, neighborhood (others), or to the authorities in charge. |
||
They don't like dogs there. |
Their dislike of dogs is unusual. |
Theirs is unusual. (Requires context to understand.) |
*Yellow highlighted words are examples of incorrect usage.
Double Possessives
Ali and Chris on "the Bachelor"
I, Me or My?
Double Possessive Pronoun Confusion
| COMMON ERROR | ERROR - OBJECT PRONOUN IN SUBJECT POSITION |
|---|---|
Use I in the subject position. Mention I last (as a courtesy to others mentioned.) |
Don't use me in the subject position. (This is a common native-English speaker error.) |
* Me and Ali's relationship is getting stronger. me used as a subject? |
*
Me → My relationship is getting stronger. |
*Ali and I's relationship is getting stronger. I's used as a possessive pronoun? |
*
I's → My relationship is getting stronger. |
* Ali and my relationship is getting stronger. Is she part of the relationship too? |
*
Ali → Ali's relationship is getting stronger. |
The relationship of Ali and I is getting stronger. I used as the object of a prepositional phrase? |
*
I → me The relationship of Ali and me is getting stronger. |
Related page: Double Pronouns
Possessive Pronoun Agreement
Indefinite & Possessive
Dog owner scolding a barking dog.
Possessive Pronoun Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
| INDEFINTE PRONOUN | SINGULAR PRONOUN | QUANTITY EXPRESSION | PLURAL PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|---|
The singular indefinite pronoun agrees with the personal pronoun (when referring to itself.) |
The closest noun in the quantifier phrase agrees with the personal pronoun (when referring to itself.) |
||
Every dog owner |
has his dog leash. |
All of the owners |
bring water for their (own) dogs. |
Each dog |
has his collar on. |
Some of us |
bring our lunches with us. |
One dog |
lost her collar. |
Half of you |
let your dogs bark. |
Each dog |
wore his identification tags. |
Ten percent the owners |
play ball with their dogs. |
*None |
comes without its/her/his owner. |
None of the owners |
leave their trash on the beach. |
*Everyone |
has his/her clean-up bag ready. |
A number of owners |
surf with their dogs. |
  |
|
||
* A plural pronoun (their) occurs in informal English.
Related pages: Pronoun agreement with quantifier phrases
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
*The attraction of this car is it's sexy, sports-car design. Pop-Q "Its" |
The attraction of this car is its sexy, sports-car design. |
With it's $110,000 price tag, the Tesla drives like a high-performance sport car. |
With Tesla's $110,000 price tag, it drives like ... |
See Pronoun Placement (antecedents)
Practice 1
Indicating ownership or possession
Pet Owners
- Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.
Practice2
Pronoun Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns and Quantity Phrases
Computer Users
- Select the response from the menu that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the answer by clicking the "check" button to the right.