Carmel Beach, California "dog heaven"
Possessive Pronouns
Indicating Ownership
Dog Blog
Carmel by the Sea is a dog's dream. On its beautiful, white, sandy, mile-long beach, dogs can run to their heart's content. Carmel Beach on the Central Coast of California is one of the few pet-friendly beaches that allows dogs to run free.
heart's content – complete inner satisfaction
No leash is required. Dogs freely socialize with other dogs or play fetch with their buddies in the surf . Pet owners from miles around come for long, dog-tiring walks on this beach.
leash (n.) – a long leather or fabric tie that attaches to a dog's collar.
play fetch – follow and bring back the ball
Pronouns
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE | POSSESSIVE SUBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|
Use a subject pronoun with have in a simple statement of possession or ownership. |
Use a possessive pronoun to express possession or ownership. |
Use a posessive subject pronoun to shorten a pronoun phrase when the item of possession has already been mentioned. |
We have a dog |
Our dog is very clever. |
Ours is very clever. (our dog) |
Lea has a chihuahua. |
Her chihuahua is tiny. |
Hers is tiny. (her chihuahua) |
Sammy has a golden retriever. |
His golden retriever is hunting ducks. |
His is hunting ducks. (his golden retriever) |
My sisters are raising a poodle. |
Their poodle is doing calculus. |
Theirs is doing calculus. (their poodle) |
I have a dachshund. |
My dachshund is always eating. |
Mine is always eating. (my dachshund) |
The dog has a bed. |
Its/her/his bed is over there. |
Its/Hers/His is over there. (its bed) |
More Info - Pronouns
Pronoun Summary
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | OBJECT PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE NOUN | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Singular I |
Plural we |
Singular me |
Plural us |
Singular my |
Plural our |
Singular mine |
Plural ours |
Pronouns
Making Generalizations
One, You & They
| SUBJECT PRONOUN | POSSESSIVE | POSSESSIVE SUBJECT PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|
ONE |
|
|
One is often used in general statements when we are talking about anyone, at any time. One includes the speaker. Its use is more formal than you. |
||
One should exercise one's dog. |
One's dog should get plenty of exercise. |
One's should get plenty of exercise. Not used |
YOU |
|
|
You is often used in general statements when we are talking about anyone, at any time. One includes the listener. Its use is informal. |
||
You should exercise your dog. |
Your dog should get plenty of exercise. |
Yours should get plenty of exercise. This pronoun becomes specific and is not understood as a generalization. |
THEY |
|
|
They is used to make general statements about somewhere else. It refers to a vague group in another place, neighborhood (others), or to the authorities in charge. |
||
They don't like dogs there. |
Their dislike of dogs is unusual. |
Theirs is unusual. (Requires context to understand.) |
Double Pronouns
Ali and Chris on "the Bachelor"
I, Me or My?
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | ERROR - OBJECT PRONOUN IN SUBJECT POSITION |
|---|---|
Use I in the subject position. Mention I last (as a courtesy to others mentioned.) |
Don't use me in the subject position. (This is a common native-English speaker error.) |
Me and Ali's relationship is getting stronger. me used as a subject? |
Me ==> My relationship is getting stronger. |
Ali and I's relationship is getting stronger. I's used as a possessive pronoun? |
I's ==> My relationship is getting stronger. |
Ali and my relationship is getting stronger. Is she part of the relationship too? |
Ali ==> Ali's relationship is getting stronger. |
The relationship of Ali and I is getting stronger. I used as the object of a prepositional phrase? |
I ==> me The relationship of Ali and me is getting stronger. |
Related page: Pronouns
Possessive Pronoun Agreement
Indefinite & Possessive
Dog owner scolding a barking dog.
Possessive Pronoun Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns
| INDEFINTE PRONOUN | SINGULAR PRONOUN | QUANTITY EXPRESSION | PLURAL PRONOUN |
|---|---|---|---|
The singular indefinite pronoun agrees with the personal pronoun (when referring to itself.) |
The closest noun in the quantifier phrase agrees with the personal pronoun (when referring to itself.) |
||
Every dog owner |
has his dog leash. |
All of the owners |
bring water for their (own) dogs. |
Each dog |
has his collar on. |
Some of us |
bring our lunches with us. |
One dog |
lost her collar. |
Half of you |
let your dogs bark. |
Each dog |
wore his identification tags. |
Ten percent the owners |
play ball with their dogs. |
*None |
comes without its/her/his owner. |
None of the owners |
leave their trash on the beach. |
*Everyone |
has his/her clean-up bag ready. |
A number of owners |
surf with their dogs. |
  |
|
||
* Informal English uses a plural pronoun - their
Related pages: Pronoun agreement with quantifier phrases; Indef pronoun referring to others
Common Mistakes
| ERROR | FIX |
|---|---|
The attraction of this car is it's sexy, sports-car design. Pop-q 1/4/2009 |
The attraction of this car is its sexy, sports-car design. |
With it's $110,000 price tag, the Tesla drives like a high-performance sport car. |
With Tesla's $110,000 price tag, it drives like ... |
See Pronoun Placement (antecedents)
Practice 1
Indicating ownership or possession
Pet Owners
- Select your response from each menu.
- Then, check your answer.
Practice2
Pronoun Agreement with Indefinite Pronouns and Quantity Phrases
Computer Users
- Select the option that is more commonly used in standard / formal English.
- Then, check your answers