Micro-listening
Possessive Determiners: Choose the Right Form
How do possessive determiners work?
Possessive determiners show who owns or connects to something, and they come before a noun. The seven forms are 'my', 'your', 'his', 'her', 'its', 'our', and 'their'. For example, 'Our revised timetable is ready.' Do not add 'a' or 'the', and write possessive 'its' without an apostrophe.
Key points
- Choose the determiner by identifying the owner.
- Possessive determiners come directly before a noun.
- Possessive determiners do not change before plural nouns.
- Use 'its' for possession and 'it's' for 'it is' or 'it has'.
Try what you have learned
Listen to a recording, type what you hear, and check your answer.
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At a glance
| Form | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| my | Shows connection to the speaker. | My ticket is beside the printer. |
| your | Shows connection to the listener or listeners. | Your documents are on the desk. |
| his or her | Shows connection to one male or female person. | Her keys are beside his coat. |
| its | Shows possession by a thing or organisation. | The printer needs its paper. |
| our or their | Includes or excludes the speaker from a group. | Our team finished our report; their team submitted theirs. |
| my versus mine | 'My' comes before a noun; 'mine' stands alone. | My seat is free; that one is mine. |
The full explanation
A possessive determiner links a noun to an owner or an associated entity. The choice of word depends strictly on who possesses or relates to the noun: my connects to the speaker, your to the listener, his or her to a single person, its to a thing or organization, our to the speaker and others, and their to an external group.
Marcus left his laptop charger on our conference table.
Why it works: His indicates ownership by Marcus, while our shows that the conference table belongs to the speaker's team.
3 more examples
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The catering company sent its invoice to her office.
Its treats the catering company as a single business entity, and her identifies the female recipient's office.
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We sorted their printed files before our meeting started.
Their identifies files belonging to another team, while our specifies the meeting attended by the speaker.
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You should bring your portfolio to their morning presentation.
Your connects the portfolio to the listener, while their links the presentation to the hosting group.
Read the full guide
Try the listening exercise
Identify the owner before selecting a word
When you describe an item, focus on the person, creature, or organization that owns or uses it before you choose a word. English possessive determiners connect a noun to an owner. If you speak about yourself, use my. When addressing your listener, pick your. If you refer to another person, determine their identity first so you select his or her accurately. Starting with the owner prevents confusion with the object itself.
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My colleague parked her scooter outside the entrance.
Why it works: Her points to the female colleague who owns the scooter.
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Your supervisor left a message on your desk.
Why it works: Your connects both the supervisor and the desk to the person being addressed.
Your turn
You want to mention a laptop that belongs to your manager, Elena. Which sentence is correct?
Answer: Elena forgot her laptop in the conference room.
Show the answer
Answer: Elena forgot her laptop in the conference room.
Her correctly matches a single female owner.
Place the determiner directly before the noun
A possessive determiner always stands immediately ahead of the noun it modifies, or right before any descriptive adjectives modifying that noun. Do not insert articles such as the or a alongside a possessive word. Saying the my desk or a your coat is ungrammatical because the possessive determiner already makes the reference definite. Keep the structure simple: determiner, optional adjective, and noun.
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We reviewed our quarterly budget this morning.
Why it works: Our sits directly in front of the adjective quarterly and the noun budget.
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Marcus submitted his final invoice yesterday.
Why it works: His stands before the adjective final and the noun invoice without any extra article.
You can practise this again in Reflexive Pronouns: Choose the Right Form and make or made: choose the right form.
Your turn
Which phrase correctly describes a schedule belonging to the speaker?
Answer: my schedule
Show the answer
Answer: my schedule
Possessive determiners do not combine with articles like 'the' or 'a'.
Choose between his and her for individuals
English chooses between his and her based strictly on the gender of the owner, never on the grammatical gender or characteristics of the noun that follows. If a man owns an apartment, a car, or a handbag, you say his apartment, his car, or his handbag. If a woman owns a toolbox, you say her toolbox. Look at who possesses the item rather than the item itself.
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David showed the architect his renovated kitchen.
Why it works: His matches David, the male homeowner, even though kitchen has no gender.
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Clara brought her heavy tools to the workshop.
Why it works: Her matches Clara, the female technician, regardless of the tools she carries.
Your turn
Sophie lent a wrench to a neighbor. How should you describe Sophie's tool?
Answer: her wrench
Show the answer
Answer: her wrench
Her is required because the owner, Sophie, is a female individual.
Use its for things and organizations
When an item connects to an inanimate object, an animal of unknown gender, a business, or an institution, select its. Many learners hesitate when talking about companies or machines, wondering whether to treat them as people. Standard business English treats a single organization, agency, or device as a singular non-human entity. Use its to describe the company website, the machine parts, or the policy details.
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The design agency published its new rate card.
Why it works: Its refers to the single design agency as an organization.
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The espresso machine needs its filter cleaned.
Why it works: Its links the filter directly to the machine.
Your turn
The local hospital updated ___ emergency guidelines last night.
Answer: its
Show the answer
Answer: its
The hospital is a single organization, which takes the singular non-human determiner its.
Keep the determiner steady before plural nouns
Unlike languages that modify adjectives to agree with plural nouns, English possessive determiners never add an s when the following noun is plural. You say our client for one customer and our clients for five customers. The words my, your, his, her, its, our, and their remain identical whether you describe a single object or dozens of items. The noun ending alone indicates number.
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Sandra filed her expense report yesterday.
Why it works: Her appears before the singular noun report.
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Sandra filed her expense reports yesterday.
Why it works: Her remains unchanged when the noun changes to plural reports.
Your turn
Which phrase correctly refers to multiple keys belonging to Kevin?
Answer: his keys
Show the answer
Answer: his keys
The possessive determiner his never changes form when modifying a plural noun.
Choose between our and their for groups
When you refer to plural owners, ask whether you belong to that group. If you are part of the group, use our to indicate shared connection. If you are speaking about a separate group of people or multiple organizations that do not include you, use their. Conflating these two words can misinform your listener about who shares responsibility for a decision, an appointment, or an expense.
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Our department submitted the proposal before noon.
Why it works: Our indicates that the speaker belongs to the submitting department.
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The auditors completed their review ahead of schedule.
Why it works: Their refers to the group of auditors, excluding the speaker.
Your turn
You and your co-worker Alex completed a joint presentation. How should you describe it?
Answer: our presentation
Show the answer
Answer: our presentation
Our is correct because the speaker is part of the group that created the presentation.
Separate possessive its from the contraction it's
The similarity in sound between its and it's causes frequent spelling errors in professional writing. Remember that its without an apostrophe functions as a possessive determiner, showing ownership or connection. In contrast, it's with an apostrophe always represents a contraction of it is or it has. Test your sentence by expanding the word into it is; if the expanded phrase makes no sense, write its.
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The software lost its connection to the database.
Why it works: Its shows possession. You cannot say 'lost it is connection'.
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It's obvious that the server restarted.
Why it works: It's expands to 'it is obvious', making the apostrophe necessary.
Your turn
Choose the correct word: The hotel remodeled ___ lobby this summer.
Answer: its
Show the answer
Answer: its
The possessive determiner its never uses an apostrophe.
Distinguish determiners from standalone pronouns
Do not confuse possessive determiners with possessive pronouns. A determiner like my, your, her, our, or their must accompany a noun. A pronoun like mine, yours, hers, ours, or theirs stands alone and replaces the noun entirely to avoid repetition. For example, you say this is my desk, where my modifies desk, but this desk is mine, where mine stands independently without any noun.
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You borrowed my badge because yours was at home.
Why it works: My modifies badge, while yours stands alone to replace 'your badge'.
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Her workspace is tidy, whereas ours needs cleaning.
Why it works: Her modifies workspace, but ours stands alone to represent 'our workspace'.
Your turn
Which sentence uses a possessive determiner correctly?
Answer: She picked up her umbrella by the door.
Show the answer
Answer: She picked up her umbrella by the door.
Her is a possessive determiner that correctly precedes the noun umbrella.
Common mistakes
What learners often say, what to say instead, and why.
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Not this:
The company changed it's opening hours.Say: The company changed its opening hours.
'Its' shows possession; 'it's' means 'it is' or 'it has'.
-
Not this:
She put the my folder on the desk.Say: She put my folder on the desk.
A possessive determiner cannot combine with 'the' before the same noun.
-
Not this:
This is mine report.Say: This is my report.
'My' must come before a noun; 'mine' stands alone.
-
Not this:
The nurses checked theirs equipment.Say: The nurses checked their equipment.
'Their' comes before a noun; 'theirs' stands alone.
Use it naturally
How people really use “Possessive Determiners”
Neutral Fine almost anywhere, at work or with friends.
Words it often goes with
- our visitWe enjoyed our visit to the zoo.
- its nameThe dog knows its name.
- her favorite animalAnna says her favorite animal is the elephant.
- his friendsBen met his friends at the gate.
- their ticketsThe visitors showed their tickets at the entrance.
Before you go
Remember this
To choose the correct possessive determiner, determine who owns or connects to the item, choose the matching form, and place it directly before the noun. The determiner stays the same whether the noun is singular or plural. Never use an apostrophe for possessive its, and never attach articles like the before your determiner.
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Clara gave her opinion during our interview.
Her connects opinion to Clara, and our connects interview to the hiring group.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "he-ropinion": the final r in "her" joins the start of "opinion."
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "he-ropinion": the final r in "her" joins the start of "opinion."
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "he-ropinion": the final r in "her" joins the start of "opinion."
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listening 2 of 4
Listen, then type what you hear. Replay as often as you need.
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Read the transcript
Marcus cleans his office every morning.
His indicates that the office belongs to Marcus, a male individual.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "hi-soffice": "his office" flows together, with the s keeping its z sound.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "hi-soffice": "his office" flows together, with the s keeping its z sound.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- listen for "hi-soffice": "his office" flows together, with the s keeping its z sound.
Try a longer clip. Listen once, then replay the part you missed.
Listening 3 of 4
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Read the transcript
Our agency sends its invoice early, so Sarah reviews her email before opening our archive, while Lucas saves his audio files.
Its matches the single agency, her matches Sarah, our includes the speaker, and his matches Lucas.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- listen for "it-sinvoice": the final s in "its" joins the start of "invoice."
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- listen for "it-sinvoice": the final s in "its" joins the start of "invoice."
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- listen for "it-sinvoice": the final s in "its" joins the start of "invoice."
This clip is longer. Follow the instruction above the answer field.
Listening 4 of 4
Listen, then type the missing words. The rest of the text is already there.
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Read the transcript
Our office prepares its autumn schedule now. Megan organizes her invoices in room one, while Aaron reviews his application across our entryway. Their agency sends its updates every morning, so our associates manage their assignments easily. Please bring your umbrella indoors, since heavy rain showers soak our entrance.
The passage contrasts singular owners (her invoices, his application, its schedule) with collective owners (our office, their agency, their assignments).
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
Listen for
At natural speed these words change shape. Tap one to hear it again.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
- The last sound of the first word runs straight into the next word.
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Say it your way
Speak for 30 to 60 seconds from memory about a visit to a zoo with two friends. Describe your group's plan, an animal and its home, and what each friend wants to see. Make up the details.
Use: our its her
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Hear how someone else might say it
Last Saturday, I went to the zoo with my friends Anna and Ben. We started our visit near the elephants. One elephant was standing beside its pool, and we watched it play in the water. Anna loves birds, so her first choice was the bird house. Ben wanted to see the snakes because his favorite animals are reptiles. We had enough time to visit both places. At lunchtime, we checked our map and chose a cafe near the exit. I would love to go back next summer.
Try once more and answer this: Which animal would you like to see again?
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Questions about "Possessive Determiners: Choose the Right Form"
Do I change their when more than one person owns multiple things?
No. The determiner their does not change form. Whether one group owns a single object or dozens of items, the determiner remains their. The plural ending appears only on the noun that follows.
The designers presented their portfolio to the client.
The designers presented their portfolios to the client.
How can I remember whether to write its or it's?
Replace the word with it is in your head. If the sentence makes sense, you need the contraction it's with an apostrophe. If the sentence sounds wrong because you are indicating that something belongs to an object, write its without an apostrophe.
The software updated its database overnight.
It's ready for testing now.
Can I say the my car or the her office in English?
No. English allows only one central determiner before a noun in this position. Possessive determiners like my and her already specify exactly which item you mean, so adding the or a is redundant and ungrammatical in standard English.
She parked her car in the staff lot.
My office is on the third floor.
What is the difference between my and mine?
My is a possessive determiner, which means it must sit directly before a noun. Mine is an independent possessive pronoun that stands completely alone without a following noun, typically to avoid repeating an object that was already identified.
This is my coffee cup on the counter.
That coffee cup on the counter is mine.
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