Possessive Pronouns
 
My or mine?
 
 

Beginner
CEFR levels A1 (Breakthrough) and A2 (Waystage)

Possessive pronouns are pronouns used to show possession or ownership:

               my pen
               your book
               his house
               her bike
               its legs
               our school
               your teacher
               their work

 Note: its refers to an animal or object.
 
          The cat was licking its paws.                  
          The museum opens its doors at ten.        
 

Possessive Pronouns can also be used independently. 

               mine
               yours 
               his
               hers
               ours 
               yours
               theirs


          This tent is mine.
          This book is yours.
          That car is his.
          That pen is hers.
          These books are ours.
          Are those pens yours?
          Are these bags theirs? 


 
  

Intermediate
CEFR levels B1 (Threshold) and B2 (Vantage)

             

The object forms are also used:
 

1. After ‘be’ in informal English. In formal English the subject form is used.
   Informal: Who’s that? It’s me.
   Formal:    Who is that? It is I.
   
2. In one-word sentences:
   Who would like to come with us? Me.
   
3. After ‘like’:
   A man like him would not leave his wife.
   
4. After than, as, exept and but in informal English. In formal English the subject form is used.
   Informal:  She is much bigger than him.
                      Everybody except me was invited to the party.
   Formal:     She is much bigger than he (is).
                      Everybody except I was invited to the party.
    
   Dangerzone:
    
   Contructions like ‘Betty and me ...’ are not correct when they are used as the subject of the sentence:
                   Betty and I decided to leave early.
                   That little job was done by Betty and me.
    
   

Advanced
CEFR levels C1 (Effective Operational Proficiency) and C2 (Mastery)

3rd person pronouns:  he / she / it
 
‘He’ is used to refer to male humans or animals.
 
‘She’ is used to refer to

• female humans or animals.
• ships, planes, cars, and motorbikes to express an affectionate attitude.

       He was talking about his sailing yacht and said that she was built ten years ago.
 
‘it’ is used:

• to refer to things
• to identify a person. When further information is given about the person ‘he/she’ is used.
  Who is that woman? It is our new English teacher. She is a very nice person.
• To refer to more than one person when these persons are regarded as having a special relation, as a group.
  Who are those people? It is Mrs Denvers and her niece.
  In all other cases in which more than one person is referred to, we use ‘they’.
   
  ‘It’ is always followed by a singular verb, even when a plural noun follows.
   It was the Americans who created this situation.
   
   ‘It’ is usually left out after these verbs:
              ask, forget, know, mind, remember, show, tell, try, understand
                 I don’t know.
                 I’ll ask her.