2.1 Nouns, Pronouns, and Agreement

Review Pronouns

Using Possessive Pronouns

You use possessive pronouns in the same way as possessive nouns, to indicate ownership. With possessive pronouns, however, you do not use an apostrophe. There are two kinds of possessive pronouns.

  1. The first kind of possessive pronoun acts like an adjective—a word that describes a noun—because it is always used before a noun.

Ms. Ellis is in tune with the members of her community and their interests.

These possessive pronouns come before nouns:

Singular my      your       his, her, its
Plural our     your        their
  1. The second kind of possessive pronoun is used on its own, not before a noun.

Her position closely reflects theirs. We hope it is yours, too.

These possessive pronouns are used on their own:

Singular mine      yours       his, hers, its
Plural ours       yours       theirs


Using Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns refer back to the subject of a sentence and end in -self or -selves.

I decided to treat myself. You should treat yourself, too.
They gave themselves a raise. We should give ourselves credit for a job well done.

These are reflexive pronouns:

Singular myself             yourself             himself, herself, itself
Plural ourselves        yourselves         themselves