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Possessive Adjectives

English Grammar Rules

Possessive adjectives are used to show possession or ownership of something.

While we use them when we refer to people, it is more in the sense of relationship than ownership.

The possessive adjectives in English are as follows:

Subject

Possessive

Adjective

I

My

You

Your He

His She

Her It

Its We

Our You (pl)

Your They

Their

The possessive adjective needs to agree with the possessor and not with the

thing that is possessed.

Examples

My car is very old.

Her boyfriend is very friendly.

Our dog is black.

Their homework is on the table.

Like all adjectives in English, they are always located directly in front of

the noun they refer to. (Possessive Adjective + Noun)

We do not include an S to the adjective when the noun is plural like in many other languages.

Examples:

Our cars are expensive. (Correct)

Ours cars are expensive. (Incorrect)

However, the verb that is used needs to be in agreement with the noun - if

the noun is singular then the verb is singular; if the noun is plural then the

verb is plural.

Examples:

My pen is black. (Singular)

My pens are black. (Plural)

Our child is intelligent. (Singular)

Our children are intelligent.

(Plural)

Its vs. It's

Be careful not to confuse its and it's.

Its = The possessive adjective for It.

It's = a contraction of it is.

Try our interactive games to practice Possessive Adjectives

If you found these rules about Possessive Adjectives useful, share it with others:

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28

Possessive Adjectives

English Grammar Rules

Possessive adjectives are used to show possession or ownership of something.

While we use them when we refer to people, it is more in the sense of relationship than ownership.

The possessive adjectives in English are as follows:

Subject

Possessive

Adjective

I

My

You

Your He

His She

Her It

Its We

Our You (pl)

Your They

Their

The possessive adjective needs to agree with the possessor and not with the

thing that is possessed.

Examples

My car is very old.

Her boyfriend is very friendly.

Our dog is black.

Their homework is on the table.

Like all adjectives in English, they are always located directly in front of

the noun they refer to. (Possessive Adjective + Noun)

We do not include an S to the adjective when the noun is plural like in many other languages.

Examples:

Our cars are expensive. (Correct)

Ours cars are expensive. (Incorrect)

However, the verb that is used needs to be in agreement with the noun - if

the noun is singular then the verb is singular; if the noun is plural then the

verb is plural.

Examples:

My pen is black. (Singular)

My pens are black. (Plural)

Our child is intelligent. (Singular)

Our children are intelligent.

(Plural)

76

Question Words

English Grammar Rules

The most common question words in English are the following:

WHO

WHO is only used when referring to people. (= I want to know the person)

Who is the best football player in the world?

Who are your best friends?

Who is that strange guy over there?

WHERE

WHERE is used when referring to a place or location. (= I want to know the place)

Where is the library?

Where do you live?

Where are my shoes?

WHEN

WHEN is used to refer to a time or an occasion. (= I want to know the time)

When do the shops open?

When is his birthday?

When are we going to finish?

WHY

WHY is used to obtain an explanation or a reason. (= I want to know the reason)

Why do we need a nanny?

Why are they always late?

Why does he complain all the time?

Normally the response begins with "Because..."

WHAT

WHAT is used to refer to specific information. (= I want to know the thing)

What is your name?

What is her favourite colour?

What is the time?

WHICH

WHICH is used when a choice needs to be made. (= I want to know the thing between alternatives)

Which drink did you order – the rum or the beer?

Which day do you prefer for a meeting – today or tomorrow?

Which is better - this one or that one?

HOW

HOW is used to describe the manner that something is done. (= I want to know the way)

How do you cook paella?

How does he know the answer?

How can I learn English quickly?

With HOW there are a number of other expressions that are used in questions:

How much – refers to a quantity or a price (uncountable nouns)

How much time do you have to finish the test?

How much is the jacket on display in the window?

How much money will I need?

How many – refers to a quantity (countable nouns)

How many days are there in April?

How many people live in this city?

How many brothers and sister do you have?

How often – refers to frequency

How often do you visit your grandmother?

How often does she study?

How often are you sick?

How far – refers to distance

How far is the university from your house?

How far is the bus stop from here?

Here we have a chart with cartoons showing the difference between each Question Word:

I

19

Past Tense - Short Answers

English Grammar Notes

As is the case with any verb tense in English, it is generally

possible to give short answers to a question. This is certainly the case

for questions in

the past tense.

If the question commences with one of the traditional question words

such as WHO, WHERE, WHEN, WHY, WHAT, WHICH or HOW, it requires a more

detailed answer and it is not possible to give a short answer.

Examples of long answers

What did you do on the weekend?

- I went to a party with my friends.

(It is not possible to give a short answer to this question like 'Yes, I did').

Why did you call him?

- Because I needed to borrow his computer.

However, if the question is more direct, and commences with a verb or

Did, then it is generally possible to give a short or a long answer

to the question.

Examples

Was Chris at the party last night?

- Yes, he was. (short answer)

- Yes, Chris was at the party last night.

(long answer)

Did you see Julie on the weekend?

-

No, I didn't. (short answer)

-

No, I didn't see Julie on the weekend. (long answer)

Could they speak Japanese?

-

Yes, they could. (short answer)

-

Yes, they could speak Japanese. (long answer)

As you can see, long answers usually sound repetitive and are not commonly used.

Short Answers with DID

Remember that if the question starts with DID, you can give a short answer

using DID. It is not necessary to use the main verb in the answer.

Examples

Did you sleep well last night?

Yes, I did / No, I didn't.

Did the airplane arrive on time?

Yes, it did / No, it didn't.

Did they remember your birthday?

Yes, they did / No, they did not.

Did your parents ring you last week?

Yes, they did / No, they didn't.

Did you lose your dog?

Yes, I did / No, I did not.

In questions that use DID it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Did I pass the test?

Yes, you did.

No, you didn't.

Did you need a dictionary?

Yes, I did.

No, I didn't.

Did you both like the movie?

Yes, we did.

No, we didn't.

Did they finish their homework?

Yes, they did.

No, they didn't.

Did he have a good time?

Yes, he did.

No, he didn't.

Did she want to leave early?

Yes, she did.

No, she didn't.

Did it have blue buttons?

Yes, it did.

No, it didn't.

Short Answers with Was / Were

In questions that use Was or Were it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Was I correct?

Yes, you were.

No, you weren't.

Were you busy yesterday?

Yes, I was.

No, I wasn't.

Were you both embarrassed?

Yes, we were.

No, we weren't.

Were they hungry?

Yes, they were.

No, they weren't.

Was he late again?

Yes, he was.

No, he wasn't.

Was she a good student?

Yes, she was.

No, she wasn't.

Was it ready?

Yes, it was.

No, it wasn't.

17

Present Tense - Short Answers

English Grammar Rules

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers, to direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Do I need a ticket?

Yes, you do.

No, you don't.

Do you need a dictionary?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

Do you both speak English?

Yes, we do.

No, we don't.

Do they need help?

Yes, they do.

No, they don't.

Does he like chocolate?

Yes, he does.

No, he doesn't.

Does she want to come?

Yes, she does.

No, she doesn't.

Does it have four legs?

Yes, it does.

No, it doesn't.

Short Answers with To Be

In questions that use Is or Are it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Am I early?

Yes, you are.

No, you aren't.

Are you busy now?

Yes, I am.

No, I'm not.

Are you both surprised?

Yes, we are.

No, we aren't.

Are they hungry?

Yes, they are.

No, they aren't.

Is he late again?

Yes, he is.

No, he isn't.

Is she a good student?

Yes, she is.

No, she isn't.

Is it ready?

Yes, it is.

No, it isn't.

In most cases, it is possible to give a short answer or a long answer to a question in English. In casual conversation, short

answers are much more common than long answers. Long answers are for more formal conversations or if you want

to give more information in your response.

Examples

Do you like seafood?

- Yes, I do

- No, I don't.

Can you speak German?

- Yes, I can

- No, I can't.

Is there a hotel in this street?

- Yes, there is

- No, there isn't.

Are they coming to the movies?

- Yes, they are

- No, they aren't.

If you look at the examples above you will notice that the answer uses the

first verb in the question (even if it is an auxiliary verb). This is a common characteristic of short answers in

English. Contrast that to long answers to each of those questions:

Do you like seafood?

- Yes, I like seafood.

- No, I don't like seafood.

Can you speak German?

- Yes, I can speak German.

- No, I can't speak German.

Is there a hotel in this street?

- Yes, there is a hotel at the end of this street.

- No, there isn't a hotel in this street.

Are they coming to the movies?

- Yes, they are coming to the movies.

- No, they are not coming to the movies.

You will notice that long answers often sound repetitive. A long

answer to one of these questions would be considered very formal in

English, and in most cases, unnecessary.

Remember, when you are accepting or refusing something to say 'yes, please'

or 'no, thank you'. It is much more common to give short answers to questions like these:

Would you like a beer?

Yes, please.

Do you need any help?

No, thank you.

17

Present Tense - Short Answers

English Grammar Rules

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers, to direct questions as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Do I need a ticket?

Yes, you do.

No, you don't.

Do you need a dictionary?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

Do you both speak English?

Yes, we do.

No, we don't.

Do they need help?

Yes, they do.

No, they don't.

Does he like chocolate?

Yes, he does.

No, he doesn't.

Does she want to come?

Yes, she does.

No, she doesn't.

Does it have four legs?

Yes, it does.

No, it doesn't.

Short Answers with To Be

In questions that use Is or Are it is possible to give short answers as follows:

Sample Questions

Short Answer

(Affirmative)

Short Answer

(Negative)

Am I early?

Yes, you are.

No, you aren't.

Are you busy now?

Yes, I am.

No, I'm not.

Are you both surprised?

Yes, we are.

No, we aren't.

Are they hungry?

Yes, they are.

No, they aren't.

Is he late again?

Yes, he is.

No, he isn't.

Is she a good student?

Yes, she is.

No, she isn't.

Is it ready?

Yes, it is.

No, it isn't.

In most cases, it is possible to give a short answer or a long answer to a question in English. In casual conversation, short

answers are much more common than long answers. Long answers are for more formal conversations or if you want

to give more information in your response.

Examples

Do you like seafood?

- Yes, I do

- No, I don't.

Can you speak German?

- Yes, I can

- No, I can't.

Is there a hotel in this street?

- Yes, there is

- No, there isn't.

Are they coming to the movies?

- Yes, they are

- No, they aren't.

If you look at the examples above you will notice that the answer uses the

first verb in the question (even if it is an auxiliary verb). This is a common characteristic of short answers in

English. Contrast that to long answers to each of those questions:

Do you like seafood?

- Yes, I like seafood.

- No, I don't like seafood.

Can you speak German?

- Yes, I can speak German.

- No, I can't speak German.

Is there a hotel in this street?

- Yes, there is a hotel at the end of this street.

- No, there isn't a hotel in this street.

Are they coming to the movies?

- Yes, they are coming to the movies.

- No, they are not coming to the movies.

You will notice that long answers often sound repetitive. A long

answer to one of these questions would be considered very formal in

English, and in most cases, unnecessary.

Remember, when you are accepting or refusing something to say 'yes, please'

or 'no, thank you'. It is much more common to give short answers to questions like these:

Would you like a beer?

Yes, please.

Do you need any help?

No, thank you.

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