Subject Pronouns & Possessives

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A1 (Beginner)Grammar

Subject Pronouns & Possessives

Learn I/you/he/she/it/we/they and my/your/his/her/our/their, plus the famous its vs it's trap. Beginner grammar with 20 questions.

Pronouns are small words that replace names, so we don’t repeat them all the time. Instead of “Aisha likes Aisha’s book,” we say “She likes her book.” In this lesson you’ll learn subject pronouns and possessives — two of the most useful word groups in English.

Subject pronouns

A subject pronoun replaces the person or thing doing the action.

Pronoun Use it for Example
I yourself I study at EduCareer.
you the person you speak to You speak English well.
he one man / boy He is Omar.
she one woman / girl She is Aisha.
it one thing or animal It is a good book.
we yourself + others We are classmates.
they two or more people/things They are tutors.
RememberEnglish always needs a subject. We say “It is raining,” never just “Is raining.”

Possessive adjectives

These words show who something belongs to. They go before a noun.

Subject Possessive Example
I my My tutor is Ms Layla.
you your What is your name?
he his Omar loves his job.
she her Aisha does her homework.
it its The book is good; its cover is blue.
we our Our class is on Monday.
they their The students bring their books.
Its vs It’s — a famous trap!

  • its = belonging to it → The dog wags its tail.
  • it’s = it is → It’s a sunny day.
  • The cat ate it’s food. → The cat ate its food.

Possessive ’s (apostrophe + s)

To show that something belongs to a named person, add ’s to their name.

  • Aisha’s book is on the table. (the book of Aisha)
  • Omar’s office is in the city.
  • This is Ms Layla’s classroom.
TipIf the owner is plural and already ends in s, put the apostrophe after the s: “the students’ books” (the books of many students).
Tutor tip for Arabic speakersEnglish uses his and her based on the owner’s gender, not the object. So for Omar we say “his book” and for Aisha “her book” — even if it’s the same book. Mixing up his and her is very common at first, so check who the owner is.

Try the 20 questions below to practise pronouns and possessives.

Check your understanding

Answer the questions below. You will see instantly if you are right.

1.Replace "Aisha": "___ is a student."
Aisha is one girl, so use "she".
2.Replace "Omar": "___ works in an office."
Omar is one man, so use "he".
3.Replace "the book": "___ is interesting."
A book is one thing, so use "it".
4.Replace "Aisha and Yusuf": "___ are at school."
Two people = "they".
5.Replace "Omar and I": "___ are classmates."
"Omar and I" includes me, so use "we".
6.Complete: "___ tutor is Ms Layla." (belongs to me)
"My" shows it belongs to me.
7.Complete: "What is ___ name?" (asking you)
"Your name" — belongs to you.
8.Complete: "Omar loves ___ job."
Omar is male, so use "his".
9.Complete: "Aisha does ___ homework."
Aisha is female, so use "her".
10.Complete: "___ class is on Monday." (belongs to us)
"Our" = belongs to us.
11.Complete: "The students bring ___ books."
Many students = "their".
12.Choose correct: "The cat ate ___ food."
"its" = belonging to it. "it's" means "it is".
13.Choose correct: "___ a sunny day today."
"It's" = "it is".
14.Whose book? Use the name: "This is ___ book." (Aisha)
Add 's to a name: Aisha's book.
15.The books of many students = "the ___ books."
Plural owner ending in s takes the apostrophe after: students' books.
16.Replace "you and Omar": "___ are good students."
"You and Omar" = "you" (plural you).
17.Complete: "I like ___ new teacher." (belongs to me)
"My new teacher".
18.Complete: "They clean ___ classroom."
"They" → "their".
19.Which sentence is correct?
English needs a subject: "It is raining now."
20.Complete: "Yusuf shows me ___ drawing." (Yusuf is a boy)
Yusuf is male, so "his drawing".

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