174 Possessives

ARRANGING A MEETING
Emma: What about Friday?
Luke: I'll just look in my diary.
Emma: Have you got your diary, Sandy?
Sandy: I think so.
Gavin: I haven't got mine with me.
Luke: I can't come on Friday. We're giving a arty !or one o! our neighbours. It's
her birthday.
1 Basic use
We use Possessives to ex!ess a !e"ation# o$ten t%e $act t%at someone %as
somet%in& o! t%at somet%in& 'e"on&s to someone( "y diary is t%e dia!y t%at
'e"on&s to me( )oma!e t%e ossessive $o!m o$ a noun( * 1+,
#uke's diary our neighbour's birthday
- .ete!mine!s and !onouns
a Possessive dete!mine!s /sometimes ca""ed 0ossessive ad1ectives02 come 'e$o!e a
noun(
my diary our neighbour her birthday
N3T the diary o! me and N3T the my diary
N3TE
A ossessive dete!mine! can come a$te! all, both o! hal!, o! a$te! a 4uanti$ie! 5 o!. * 167/"'# "c2
all my money some of your !riends a lot of his time one o! our neighbours
-8 P3SSESSI9ES AN. .EM3NSTRATI9ES PAGE
' We "eave out t%e noun i$ it is c"ea! $!om t%e context :%at :e mean( W%en :e do
t%is# :e use a !onoun( We say mine instead o$ my diary.
I'll just look in my diary. ; I haven't got mine with me.
N3T I haven't got my. and N3T I haven't got the mine.
$hat isn't Harriet's coat. Hers is blue.
Whose is this en? % Yours, isn't it?
A ossessive !onoun is o$ten a com"ement(
Is this diary yours? N3T IS this diary to you?
N3TE
a We can use t%e ossessive $o!m o$ a noun on its o:n(
$hat isn't my diary < it's Luke's.
But :e do not use an aost!o%e :it% a ossessive !onoun( N3T your's
' We can use yours at t%e end o$ a "ette!# e(&( &ours sincerely'!aith!ully.
= >o!m
.ete!mine!s P!onouns
Sin&u"a! P"u!a" Sin&u"a! P"u!a"
>i!st e!son my en our house mine ours
Second e!son your number your coats yours yours
T%i!d e!son his !ather their attitude his theirs
her decision hers
its colour
N3TE
a His is ma"e? her is $ema"e? and their is "u!a"(
#uke's !ather his !ather( )mma's !ather her !ather(
#uke and )mma's !ather their !ather
>o! t%e use o$ he'his, she'her and it'its $o! ma"es# $ema"es and t%in&s# * 17+ /='2(
' @is can 'e eit%e! a dete!mine! o! a !onoun(
Has *ory got his ticket?
I've got my ticket. Has *ory got his?
c Its is a dete!mine! 'ut not a !onoun(
$he lion sometimes eats its young. +oes the tiger ,eat its young-, I wonder?
N3T +oes the tiger eats its?
d Its is ossessive# 'ut it's is a s%o!t $o!m o$ it is o! it has.
+ Possessives :it% a!ts o$ t%e 'ody
We no!ma""y use a ossessive :it% eo"e0s %eads# a!ms# "e&s etc# and t%ei!
c"ot%es# even i$ it is c"ea! :%ose :e mean(
What's the matter? ; I've hurt my back, N3T I've hurt the back.
.oth climbers broke their legs.
.rian just stood there with his hands in his ockets.
N3TE
We can use the in t%is atte!n :%e!e :e %ave 1ust mentioned t%e e!son(
9e!' Pe!son P!eositiona" %!ase
$he stone hit the oliceman on the'his shoulder.
Someone ushed me in the 'ack(
/igel took 0emima by the arm.
)oma!e t%is sentence(
/igel looked at 0emima and ut his hand on her arm.
174 Possessives
A 1 !riend o! mine
a "y !riend !e$e!s to a de$inite e!son# the e!son I am $!iends :it%( To ta"k a'out a
e!son I am $!iends :it%# :e say one o! my !riends o! a !riend o! mine.
.e$inite Inde$inite
Sin&u"a! my !riend one o! my !riends'a !riend o! mine
P"u!a" my !riends some o! my !riends'some !riends o! mine
@e!e a!e some exam"es o$ t%e inde$inite atte!n(
$he twins are visiting an uncle of theirs.
N3T a their uncle and N3T an uncle o! them
+on't listen to what 2raham is saying. It's just a silly idea of his.
+idn't you borrow some cassettes of mine?
' We can a"so use t%e ossessive $o!m o$ names and ot%e! nouns(
I'm reading a novel of Steinbeck's.
N3T a novel o! Steinbeck and N3T a Steinbeck's novel
We met a cousin of Nicola's.
It's just a silly idea of my brother's.
, 3wn
a A ossessive dete!mine! 5 own means an exc"usive !e"ation(
I'd love to have my own !lat.
Students are e4ected to contribute their own ideas.
"y own means 0'e"on&in& to me and not to anyone e"se(0
We can use a %!ase "ike my own :it%out a noun(
$he ideas should be your own. /B you! o:n ideas2
N3TE
3wn can mean t%at t%e action is exc"usive to t%e su'1ect(
&ou'll have to make your own bed. /o one else is going to make it !or you.
' T%e!e is a"so a atte!n :it% o!.
I'd love a !lat of my own. N3T an own !lat
N3TE
)oma!e t%e t:o atte!ns(
a dog of our own /B a do& 'e"on&in& on"y to us2
a dog of ours /B one o$ ou! do&s2 * /A2
c 3n your own and by yoursel! mean 0a"one0(
I don't want to walk home on my own'by mysel!.
5 Idioms
T%e!e a!e a"so some idiomatic ex!essions :it% Possessives(
I'll do my best. /B I0"" do as :e"" as I can(2
We took our leave. /B We said &ood'ye(2
t was your fault we got lost. /B Cou a!e to '"ame(2
've changed my mind. /B I0ve c%an&ed t%e decision I made(2