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Whose hat is this? Possessive pronouns and Whose questions

This A1 ESL lesson plan pairs possessive pronouns with whose questions: Whose hat is this? It's mine.

Grammar
Possessive pronouns mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs as answers to Whose…? (Whose badges are these? They're ours.), beside my, your or Ava's before a noun, and whose or who's.
Topic
Park ranger uniforms and the Junior Ranger programs at National Park Service sites, with words such as flat hat, badge, booklet and name tag.
Activities
A Junior Ranger poster to read, a dialogue and a ranger's talk to hear, self-checking drills, a lost-and-found chat, open-box questions about whose things are whose, and a note to write.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Hello, rangers!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: rangers and uniformsVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: be a Junior Ranger

    • Look at the photo: a new Junior RangerPictureUnlock
    • Read the poster: Junior RangersReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: whose hat is this?

    • Listen to Emma and TundeListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the ranger at the parkListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen to the ranger and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: whose hat? It's mine!

    • Study the scheme: mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirsGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the right wordChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: change the word in ( )Fill in the gapsTry it
    • Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropUnlock
    • Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: the lost and found

    • Choose the right replies: at the lost and foundChatTry it
    • Open a box and answerOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Fill in the table: my badge → mineFill in the tableUnlock
    • Match the words and their meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Write a lost-and-found noteWriting, checked by the teacherUnlock
    • Record a voice message: whose things are these?Speaking, checked by the teacherUnlock

25 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • flat hat
  • uniform
  • jacket
  • patch
  • name tag
  • Junior Ranger
  • booklet

Grammar: possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

Possessive adjectives and pronouns come in pairs: my hat, but It's mine. The pronoun answers Whose…? on its own, so the noun doesn't come back. Sorting the things kids forget on a bus after a park trip, learners find the pronoun for every person, swap a name with 's for his or hers, and keep whose apart from who's.

Whose hat is this? It's mine!

Answer Whose…? with mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. No noun after them!

My hat → mine: a pronoun for every person

Each possessive adjective has a partner that stands alone: my → mine, your → yours, her → hers, our → ours, their → theirs. His stays the same, and its never stands alone: Pickle wears its blue collar.

Who+ nounno nounExample
Imy hatmineWhose hat is this? – It's mine.
youyour hatyoursIs this hat yours?
hehis hathisIt's Noah's jacket. It's his.
sheher hathersIt's Ava's hat. It's hers.
itits collar– (not alone)Pickle wears its blue collar.
weour badgesoursThese badges are ours.
theytheir bookletstheirsWhose booklets are these? – They're theirs.

Whose hat is this? Whose badges are these?

The question puts the thing right after Whose, then is this for one thing or are these for more: Whose hat is this? Whose badges are these? The answer can be a name or a pronoun: It's Noah's. It's his. They're ours.

Whosehat / badgesis this? / are these?

Whose hat is this? – It's mine.

Whose badges are these? – They're ours.

Whose jacket is that? – It's Noah's. It's his.

With a noun or alone?

My, your and our need a noun after them: It's my hat. They're our badges. Mine, yours, hers and ours take no noun: It's mine. A name with 's works either way, so It's Ava's hat or It's Ava's becomes It's hers.

With a noun or alone?

+ noun: my, your, Ava's, our…

  • It's my hat.
  • It's Ava's hat.
  • They're our badges.

no noun: mine, yours, hers, ours…

  • It's mine.
  • It's hers.
  • They're ours.

It's Emma's. → It's hers.

You know It's Emma's. Now you can say it with one short word: Emma's → hers, Noah's → his. Is it your hat? → Is it yours? – No, it isn't mine.

Whose or who's?

Whose asks who something belongs to: Whose hat is this? Who's is short for who is: Who's that? It's Ava. The two sound the same but are different words, so Who's hat is this? is a mistake in writing.

Whose or who's?

Whose asks about things: Whose hat is this? Who's = who is: Who's that? – It's Ava. They sound the same, but they're different words!

Common mistakes

  • It's my.

    It's mine.

    no noun after it: mine

  • This hat is her's.

    This hat is hers.

    hers, yours, ours, theirs: no '

  • It's mine hat.

    It's my hat. / It's mine.

    + noun: my, your, their… / no noun: mine, yours, theirs…

  • Who's hat is this?

    Whose hat is this?

    who's = who is

More lessons on this grammar: Possessive adjectives and pronouns lessons and exercises

Try the possessive pronouns exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 12 auto-checked exercises
  • 2 games
  • 2 teacher-checked tasks
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • answer Whose…? with a possessive pronoun: Whose hat is this? It's mine. Whose badges are these? They're ours.
  • change my hat into mine and their booklets into theirs, with no noun after the pronoun
  • say a name with 's in one short word: It's Ava's hat. → It's hers.
  • write hers, yours and theirs with no apostrophe, and tell whose from who's

Lesson 28 closes Jobs people do, the seventh unit of English A1.2 · Out and About. It builds on three A1.1 lessons: lesson 6, which said whose something is with a name and 's (Emma's dog), and lessons 5 and 7, which taught my to their before a noun. Now my to their get partners that stand alone, and It's Emma's can become It's hers. A bag of hats, jackets and booklets left on a bus after a class trip gives every Whose…? question an owner to find.

Students spin a wheel of questions about uniforms, hats and parks, then learn ten words, from earn to name tag, with pictures and audio. They read a Junior Ranger poster, from the booklet at the visitor center to Yellowstone's wooden badge with a mountain and a bison, then hear Emma and Tunde sort the kids' things (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a ranger's talk to new Junior Rangers. The scheme comes with four exercises that check themselves, among them a gap-fill that turns my into mine. In the speaking chapter, students claim their family's things at a park lost and found in a chat, then open boxes of Whose…? questions.

Homework begins with two self-checking tasks, a table that turns my badge into mine and a match of uniform words. Students then write a lost-and-found note for a class chat and record a voice message about whose things are in their room, which go to the teacher.

Grammar:
possessive pronouns · mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs · Whose…?
Topic:
Junior Rangers · national parks · park rangers · uniforms · lost and found

Teaching tips

  • Put name tags on a few things, like the one on Noah's jacket in the dialogue, and ask Whose jacket is this? Students read the tag and answer with the name, then the pronoun: It's Ken's. It's his.
  • Write the pairs in two columns, my to their and mine to theirs, then cover one column and have students say the other, with a gap next to its.
  • Dictate a whose and a who's sentence, like Whose bag is this? and Who's your teacher?, and let students check their spelling against the scheme's tip.
  • Quote the ranger's line about the parks: These parks aren't mine. They're ours: yours and mine! Then ask what else is ours in your town, from the library to the park.

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The whole course: English A1.2 · Out and About

32 lessons that pick up where English A1.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present simple with he and she to was and were. Eight units cover shopping, the weather, getting around, celebrations, health, animals and nature, jobs and weekends. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Shopping

    clothes and colors, he and she in the present simple, sizes and prices, paying in a store

    1. Lesson 1What does she wear on Aloha Friday?Present simple with he, she and it
    2. Lesson 2A basket on wheels?Present simple negatives with don't and doesn't
    3. Lesson 3What size are these boots?What questions and a pair of
    4. Lesson 4Can I try it on? The Santa Fe Indian MarketRequests and permission with Can I and Can you

  2. Unit 2 Weather and seasons

    the weather, seasons and months, the present continuous, how often it rains or snows

    1. Lesson 5Is the Windy City windy?Weather adjectives with It's
    2. Lesson 6Does it rain in the desert?Yes/no questions with does
    3. Lesson 7Baseball at midnight?The present continuous for now
    4. Lesson 8Is it always windy on Mount Washington?Adverbs of frequency and their place

  3. Unit 3 Getting around

    transport, timetables, where places are, tickets with want and need

    1. Lesson 9How do you get to work?By + transport, take the bus and on foot
    2. Lesson 10What time does the ferry leave?Wh- questions with does
    3. Lesson 11Where's the streetcar stop?Between, behind, in front of and across from
    4. Lesson 12Do you need a ticket?Want and need with a noun

  4. Unit 4 Celebrations

    dates and holidays, in and on, party invitations, object pronouns

    1. Lesson 13Why is it called Juneteenth?Ordinal numbers for saying dates
    2. Lesson 14Never on a Sunday? The Rose ParadeIn, on and at for dates and times
    3. Lesson 15Come to our Lunar New Year party!Some and any with plural nouns
    4. Lesson 16Thank you, teacher!Object pronouns me, you, him, her, it, us and them

  5. Unit 5 Healthy me

    the body, how often, at the pharmacy, steps with first and then

    1. Lesson 17Does your back hurt?Hurt and hurts with parts of the body
    2. Lesson 18How often do you walk?How often questions and expressions of frequency
    3. Lesson 19What's the matter?Have and has for health problems
    4. Lesson 20Clean hands in five stepsSequence words with imperatives

  6. Unit 6 Animals and nature

    there is and there are, what animals are doing, parks, a, an and the

    1. Lesson 21Which frog sings its name?There is and there are for what's in a place
    2. Lesson 22What's the bear doing now?Present continuous questions and negatives
    3. Lesson 23Are there any horses on the beach?Questions with is there and are there any
    4. Lesson 24Where do the baby turtles go?A, an and the for first and second mention

  7. Unit 7 Jobs people do

    jobs and workplaces, the present simple and continuous, job interviews, possessive pronouns

    1. Lesson 25Who makes the sounds in movies?Present simple vs present continuous
    2. Lesson 26Nurses on horses?At, in and on with workplaces
    3. Lesson 27Can you be a lifeguard?Verbs with prepositions
    4. Lesson 28 · you're hereWhose hat is this?Possessive pronouns from mine to theirs

  8. Unit 8 Weekend stories and plans

    was and were, how long and how tall, and, but and or, camping food

    1. Lesson 29Why do we have two days off?Was and were, the past of be
    2. Lesson 30How long is a blue whale?How + adjective questions about size
    3. Lesson 31A cow made of butter?And, but and or for joining ideas
    4. Lesson 32What do you need for s'mores?Containers and quantities with of

Questions about this lesson

What are possessive pronouns?
Possessive pronouns are words that say whose something is, without a noun: mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs. Each one replaces a possessive adjective and its noun, so It's my hat becomes It's mine. They often answer Whose…?: Whose booklets are these? They're theirs. The A1 lesson Whose hat is this? on edio.ai practices them with a bag of things kids forget after a park trip.
What are possessive adjectives and pronouns?
Possessive adjectives and pronouns are two forms for saying whose something is. The adjective comes before a noun, and the pronoun replaces both: It's our badge. → It's ours. Most pronouns just add -s: yours, hers, ours, theirs. My becomes mine, his doesn't change, and its has no pronoun, so it always comes with a noun: Pickle wears its blue collar.
How do you answer "Whose is this?"
Answer with a possessive pronoun or a name with 's: Whose hat is this? It's mine. Whose jacket is that? It's Noah's. It's his. For more than one thing, the question is Whose … are these? and the answer starts with They're: Whose badges are these? They're ours. If it isn't yours, say so first: No, it isn't mine. It's my dad's.
Is it "It's my" or "It's mine"?
Say It's mine when no noun follows, and It's my hat when one does: my is a possessive adjective, and mine is a possessive pronoun. The same choice runs through every person: These are our badges but These badges are ours. Using both at once is wrong too: It's mine hat, theirs booklets. A trap in the lost-and-found chat of Whose hat is this? on edio.ai is It's my! Thank you!
When do you use mine, yours, his and hers?
Use them instead of a possessive adjective plus noun, often after be: This phone is mine. Is this hat yours? The jacket is his. The badge is hers. They stay the same for one thing or many, so it's These books are mine too. His is the same word before a noun and alone: his jacket, It's his.
Is it "hers" or "her's"?
It's hers, with no apostrophe: This hat is hers. Possessive pronouns never take one, so it's yours, ours and theirs as well, not their's. The apostrophe belongs to names and nouns: It's Ava's. The kids' things. A drill in Whose hat is this? on edio.ai offers her's as a wrong choice next to hers.
What's the difference between "whose" and "who's"?
Whose asks about the owner; who's means who is. Whose hat is this? Who's that? It's Ava. They sound exactly alike, so the mistake shows up in writing: Who's hat is this? is wrong. To check, put who is in its place; if the sentence still works, write who's.
How do I teach possessive pronouns to beginners?
Build on It's Emma's, which beginners already know: show that It's Emma's becomes It's hers and It's Noah's becomes It's his, then add mine, yours, ours and theirs with real things in the room. In Whose hat is this?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, a tip in the scheme makes that exact step, after a poster and a dialogue about lost things.
What's a good game for practicing possessive pronouns?
A lost-and-found game is a natural fit: put a few things from the class in a box, and a clerk holds each one up and asks Whose … is this? Owners answer It's mine!, and the others help with It's his or They're theirs. The open boxes in this lesson include that game, plus Whose bags are these? for ours and theirs.
How do you practice possessive pronouns one-to-one?
Use the things on the table between you: point and ask Is this yours?, and answer Yes, it's mine or No, it isn't mine. It's my sister's. It's hers. Then swap, so the student asks too. The chat in this lesson needs no partner: at a park lost and found, the student claims a family's hat, jacket, sunglasses and booklets, choosing replies like They're my mom's. They're hers.
What's good homework for practicing possessive pronouns?
A lost-and-found note makes good homework: name three things you found and say whose they are, with a question at the end. The little blue hat is Ava's. It's hers. Two booklets say Theo and Clara. They're theirs. And whose water bottle is this? Is it yours? For Whose hat is this? on edio.ai, students also record a voice message about whose things are in their room, after a self-checking table and word match.
Are there interactive exercises for possessive pronouns?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that mark answers right away suit possessive pronouns well. This page plays four parts of Whose hat is this?, an A1 lesson on edio.ai, without an account: the Junior Ranger poster, Emma and Tunde sorting the kids' lost things, a gap-fill that changes my into mine and their into theirs, and a chat at a park lost and found. Everything else in the lesson, from the drag-and-drop to the homework, is locked.
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