Possessive adjectives and pronouns: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Q: What are possessive adjectives?

Words before a noun that show who owns it. There are seven: my , your , his , her , its , our and their , as in my mom , his sister and their house . Each matches a subject pronoun ( I → my , they → their ) and stays the same before a singular or a plural noun: our friend , our friends .

Q: Are there interactive exercises for possessive adjectives and pronouns?

Yes, and you can try some without an account. The exercises at the top of this page come from these lessons, which practice possessive adjectives, the 's and possessive pronouns with gap-fills, drag-and-drop, tables to complete and quizzes. Students answer in their own edio.ai accounts and see each answer checked at once. The free trial opens every lesson.

Q: What's the difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns?

An adjective needs a noun after it; a pronoun doesn't. It's my hat , but It's mine ; They're our badges , but They're ours . Mixing the two gives It's mine hat or It's my , which are both wrong. His is the one form that works both ways: his hat , It's his .

Q: Is it his or her?

It depends on the owner, not on the thing. Tunde and his mom : Tunde is a man, so it's his , even though his mom is a woman. Mia and her brother : Mia is a woman, so it's her . The pronouns follow the same rule: It's Ava's hat. It's hers.

Q: What's the difference between its and it's?

Its shows the owner; it's means it is. Its name is Taco is about the dog's name, while It's a small dog means it is a small dog. The apostrophe in it's stands for missing letters: it is , or it has in It's got brown ears . The same trap waits in their and they're , your and you're , whose and who's .

Q: How do you use the possessive 's?

Add 's to the owner, then name the thing. Emma's dog , Max's owner , the dog's name . English doesn't say the dog of Emma . Once everyone knows the thing, the noun can go: Whose jacket is that? It's Noah's. A possessive pronoun can then replace the name: It's his.

Q: How do I teach possessive adjectives to beginners?

Start with family, then pets and friends. In English A1.1 on edio.ai, learners meet my , your , his and her through family and Mother's Day, the possessive 's through pets, and its and their while describing friends. A review lesson closes the unit, and English A1.2 later adds mine , yours and Whose hat is this?

Q: What are good possessive pronoun games?

Lost-and-found games, where every object needs an owner. Collect a pen, a scarf or a key from each student, then hold up one thing at a time: Whose scarf is this? The class answers with a name and then a pronoun: It's Ana's. It's hers. Each of these possessives lessons also has a speaking chapter: first a chat, then a game such as Spin the wheel or Open the box.

Q: Can students practice possessives at home?

Yes: set any of these lessons as homework. Students open it in their own accounts, and the drills on my , mine and the 's check each answer as they go, while some tasks are left for the teacher to review. In a one-to-one or group class, the same lesson runs live instead, in sync with the teacher.

Levels A1 to B1 6 lesson plans · 3 drill lessons Exercises that check themselves

Possessive adjectives and pronouns tell us who something belongs to: my mom, Emma's dog, It's mine. The edio.ai library has 6 ready-made lessons on them for A1 to B1 learners, all in American English, and this page brings them together. Try their exercises, see the rules from my to theirs in the lessons' own grammar schemes, and choose a lesson for your class from the list by level. Every lesson is interactive, and the drills, from his and her to whose, check themselves.

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Possessive adjectives and pronouns lesson plans and drills

6 lesson plans and 3 drill lessons, A1 to B1. Lesson plans are whole lessons with reading, listening and speaking; drill lessons are 44 to 47 self-checking exercises with no new words.

Try the possessive adjectives exercises

One exercise from each of 6 lessons. These are the same exercises your students do in edio.

Possessive adjectives and pronouns explained

Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, its, our, their) always come before a noun: our house. Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs) stand alone, with no noun after them: It's mine. For a name, English adds 's: Ava's hat.

I → my, she → her: one for every person

Each subject pronoun has a possessive adjective of its own: I → my, we → our, they → their. An animal or a thing takes its: Its ears are brown. The table runs through every person, from My mom is in Detroit to Their mom is in Honolulu.

I, you, he…	my, your, his…	Example
I	my	I'm Tunde. My mom is in Detroit.
you	your	You're Mia. Is your mom in Honolulu?
he	his	This is Liam. His mom is in Philadelphia.
she	her	This is Joy. Her son is Leo.
it	its	This is Pickle, a dog. Its ears are brown.
we	our	We're roommates. Our house is in Brooklyn.
they	their	Mia and Kai are from Hawaii. Their mom is in Honolulu.

From the lesson Why is Mother's Day in May? (English A1.1)

His or her? Look at the owner

His and her follow the person who owns something, not the thing itself: Tunde and his mom, Mia and her brother. A common slip is Tunde and her mom, where her follows mom instead of Tunde.

his or her? Look at Tunde or Mia!

Tunde is a man: Tunde and his mom. Mia is a woman: Mia and her brother. Look at Tunde and Mia, not at mom or brother!

From the lesson Why is Mother's Day in May? (English A1.1)

Emma's dog: name + 's + thing

To say whose something is, add 's to the owner and put the thing after it: Emma's dog, the dog's name, not the dog of Emma. The same 's can also be short for is or has: Pickle's got brown ears.

Whose is it? Name + 's

name + 'sthing

Emma's dog

Max's owner

the dog's name

's: is, has or whose?

's = is

Pickle's in the kitchen.
Her name's Peaches.

's = has (with got)

Pickle's got brown ears.
She's got a blue collar.

's = whose

Emma's dog is brown.
Ruby's owner is Dana.

From the lesson Best in show! (English A1.1)

Its or it's, their or they're

Possessive adjectives never take an apostrophe. It's and they're are short for it is and they are, while its and their show the owner: Its name is Taco, Their photo is cute. There names a place: Danny is there.

it's or its?

it's = it is

It's a small dog.
It's very friendly.

its + name, ears…

Its name is Taco.
Its ears are really big.

they're, their or there?

they're = they are

They're really funny.

their + person or thing

Their photo is cute.

there = a place

San Diego? Danny is there.

From the lesson National Best Friends Day (English A1.1)

My hat or mine? With a noun or alone

A possessive pronoun does the work of the adjective and the noun together: It's my hat becomes It's mine. Your, her, our and their add -s (yours, hers, ours, theirs), my turns into mine, and his stays his.

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.

my hat → mine: every person

Who	+ noun	no noun	Example
I	my hat	mine	Whose hat is this? – It's mine.
you	your hat	yours	Is this hat yours?
he	his hat	his	It's Noah's jacket. It's his.
she	her hat	hers	It's Ava's hat. It's hers.
it	its collar	– (not alone)	Pickle wears its blue collar.
we	our badges	ours	These badges are ours.
they	their booklets	theirs	Whose booklets are these? – They're theirs.

From the lesson Whose hat is this? (English A1.2)

Whose hat is this?

Whose asks about the owner, and the noun comes right after it: Whose badges are these? The answer can use a name with 's or a possessive pronoun: It's Noah's. It's his.

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.

From the lesson Whose hat is this? (English A1.2)

Questions about possessive adjectives and pronouns

What are possessive adjectives?

Words before a noun that show who owns it. There are seven: my, your, his, her, its, our and their, as in my mom, his sister and their house. Each matches a subject pronoun (I → my, they → their) and stays the same before a singular or a plural noun: our friend, our friends.

Are there interactive exercises for possessive adjectives and pronouns?

Yes, and you can try some without an account. The exercises at the top of this page come from these lessons, which practice possessive adjectives, the 's and possessive pronouns with gap-fills, drag-and-drop, tables to complete and quizzes. Students answer in their own edio.ai accounts and see each answer checked at once. The free trial opens every lesson.

What's the difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns?

An adjective needs a noun after it; a pronoun doesn't. It's my hat, but It's mine; They're our badges, but They're ours. Mixing the two gives It's mine hat or It's my, which are both wrong. His is the one form that works both ways: his hat, It's his.

Is it his or her?

It depends on the owner, not on the thing. Tunde and his mom: Tunde is a man, so it's his, even though his mom is a woman. Mia and her brother: Mia is a woman, so it's her. The pronouns follow the same rule: It's Ava's hat. It's hers.

What's the difference between its and it's?

Its shows the owner; it's means it is. Its name is Taco is about the dog's name, while It's a small dog means it is a small dog. The apostrophe in it's stands for missing letters: it is, or it has in It's got brown ears. The same trap waits in their and they're, your and you're, whose and who's.

How do you use the possessive 's?

Add 's to the owner, then name the thing. Emma's dog, Max's owner, the dog's name. English doesn't say the dog of Emma. Once everyone knows the thing, the noun can go: Whose jacket is that? It's Noah's. A possessive pronoun can then replace the name: It's his.

How do I teach possessive adjectives to beginners?

Start with family, then pets and friends. In English A1.1 on edio.ai, learners meet my, your, his and her through family and Mother's Day, the possessive 's through pets, and its and their while describing friends. A review lesson closes the unit, and English A1.2 later adds mine, yours and Whose hat is this?

What are good possessive pronoun games?

Lost-and-found games, where every object needs an owner. Collect a pen, a scarf or a key from each student, then hold up one thing at a time: Whose scarf is this? The class answers with a name and then a pronoun: It's Ana's. It's hers. Each of these possessives lessons also has a speaking chapter: first a chat, then a game such as Spin the wheel or Open the box.

Can students practice possessives at home?

Yes: set any of these lessons as homework. Students open it in their own accounts, and the drills on my, mine and the 's check each answer as they go, while some tasks are left for the teacher to review. In a one-to-one or group class, the same lesson runs live instead, in sync with the teacher.

More English grammar

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Possessive adjectives and pronouns: ESL lesson plans and exercises

Possessive adjectives and pronouns lesson plans and drills

Why is Mother's Day in May?

Best in show!

National Best Friends Day

Review: Bobbie the Wonder Dog

Whose hat is this?

Subject pronouns and possessive adjectives: I, my, she, her

Possessive 's: whose bag is this?

Possessive pronouns: whose is it?

Could you climb a fourteener?

Try the possessive adjectives exercises

Possessive adjectives and pronouns explained

I → my, she → her: one for every person

His or her? Look at the owner

Emma's dog: name + 's + thing

Whose is it? Name + 's

's: is, has or whose?

Its or it's, their or they're

it's or its?

they're, their or there?

My hat or mine? With a noun or alone

With a noun or alone?

my hat → mine: every person

Whose hat is this?

Questions about possessive adjectives and pronouns

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Teach possessive adjectives and pronouns with ready-made lessons