1.

2 Possessive determiners and possessive ’s

1 We use possessive determiners to say that something or someone belongs to

another person, place or thing.
2 The possessive determiner always comes before a noun or noun phrase.

Personal Possessive Noun or noun phrase

pronoun determiner
I my I like my older brother the most.
you your What languages does your mother speak?
he his His favourite place is the café near his office.
she her She’s going to visit her sister this evening.
it its The city is famous for its old buildings.
we our Our parents lived in London when they were young.
they their Their children don’t live at home now.
© Oxford University Press
 1.2 Possessive determiners and possessive ’s

1 Possessive determiners have only one form. There is no singular or plural form.

1 We haven’t seen our daughter for a while.

2 He is going to visit his sisters this weekend.

3 Sarah and her husband are going to move house.

4 The school teaches its children very well.

© Oxford University Press

 1.2 Possessive determiners and possessive ’s

1 So, we use …

Possessive determiner To say that Example

his something/someone John loves his daughter.
belongs to a boy/man
her something/someone Sally loves her son.
belongs to a girl/woman
its something/someone The city is famous for its
belongs to a thing universities.

© Oxford University Press

 1.2 Possessive determiners and possessive ’s

1 We use the possessive ’s to show that something or someone belongs to a person,

place or thing. The possessive ’s always comes after a noun.

1 This is my friend’s house.

2 With regular plural nouns we only use ’ and not ’s. If there is more than one subject,
we put the ’s on the last name.

1 These are my friends’s friends’ books.

2 Lisa and Peter’s children are at university.

3 Remember that ’s can also mean is.

1 It’s John’s bag = It is John’s bag.

2 Singapore’s a modern city. Its buildings are very new. It’s a beautiful place.

is possessive is © Oxford University Press

 1.2 Possessive determiners and possessive ’s

Choose the correct form to complete these sentences.

1 What is you’re/your teacher called?

2 She visits her/hers sisters every afternoon.

3 Switzerland is famous for it’s/its mountains and lakes.

4 Where are mys/my glasses?

5 China and Japan’s/China’s and Japan’s railway systems are very good.

6 Our friends’s/friends’ house is across the road.

© Oxford University Press