Pronouns let you talk about people and things without repeating their names. Possessives show who something belongs to. The trick is choosing the right form for the right place in the sentence.
The pattern
She gave me her number.
This bag is mine.
01Subject or object?
Use a subject pronoun (I, he, she, we, they) before the verb, as the person who does the action. Use an object pronoun (me, him, her, us, them) after a verb or after a preposition like to, for, with or between.
With two people, take the other person out and test it: "Send it to Carlos and me" works because you'd say "send it to me."
- I called my landlord this morning.
- My landlord called me back.
- Can you save a seat for us?
- My coworker and I take the same train.
| subject | object | before a noun | alone | reflexive |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | me | my | mine | myself |
| you | you | your | yours | yourself |
| he | him | his | his | himself |
| she | her | her | hers | herself |
| it | it | its | (not used) | itself |
| we | us | our | ours | ourselves |
| they | them | their | theirs | themselves |
02My or mine?
Use my, your, his, her, its, our, their before a noun: my car, their kids. Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs when there is no noun after it: The car is mine.
Possessive pronouns never have an apostrophe. Its means belonging to it. It's means it is or it has.
- Is this your charger or mine?
- Their apartment is bigger than ours.
- The hotel has its own parking lot.
- It's a great place to stay.
03's and whose
Add 's to a person or a name to show ownership: Maria's car, my boss's office. For a plural that already ends in -s, add only an apostrophe: my parents' house, the Smiths' dog. Irregular plurals take 's: the children's room, the women's team.
Ask about the owner with whose. Don't confuse it with who's, which means who is.
- We're staying at my sister's place.
- The Garcias' barbecue is on Saturday.
- Whose jacket is this?
- Who's coming to lunch?
04Myself, yourself
Use a reflexive pronoun when the subject and object are the same person: I cut myself. It can also mean with no help: We painted it ourselves. By myself means alone.
Don't use myself in place of me or I. Say "Call me," not "Call myself."
- Be careful. Don't burn yourself.
- He taught himself to play guitar.
- I like to go running by myself.
05Common mistakes
Is this pen your?
Is this pen yours?
With no noun after it, use the possessive pronoun yours.
The dog hurt it's leg.
The dog hurt its leg.
Its shows possession. It's always means it is or it has.
This is my sister car.
This is my sister's car.
Add 's to the owner's name or noun.
Please email the report to myself.
Please email the report to me.
Use myself only when I is also the subject.