Limiting adjectives help to define or 'limit' a noun or pronoun by telling which one, what kind, or how many.
This sandwich is delicious
In the category of limiting adjectives there are possesive adjectives. Possesive adjectives modify the noun following it in order to show possession. These adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
I told my friend that I like someone, then she told that to her friend, and that friend told that to his friends, and now everyone knows everything
Here is a table to help you learn which possessive adjective to us.
| Person | Subject | Object | Possessive Adjective | Possessive Pronoun |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Singular | I | me | my (cat) | mine |
| 2nd Singular | You | you | your (cat) | yours |
| 3rd Singular | He | him | his (cat) | his |
| She | her | her (cat) | hers | |
| It | it | its (cat) | its | |
| 1st Plural | We | us | our (cat) | ours |
| 2nd Plural | You | you | your (cat) | yours |
| 3rd Plural | They | them | their (cat) | theirs |
The possessive adjective needs to agree with the possessor and not with the thing that is possessed. 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.
She has a boyfriend. Her boyfriend is very kind
Peter likes to cook. His cook skills are great
Possessive adjectives are often confused with possesive pronouns. A possesive adjective is used to describe a noun, and it comes before it. On the other hand, a possesive pronoun is used instead of a noun.
Your car is black (Your is an adjective which modifies the word 'car')
Mine is white (Mine is a pronoun which functions as the subject of the sentence.)
Do not confuse its and it's. Its is the possesive adjective for it. It's is a contraction of it is.
It is a beautiful day (=It's a beautiful day.)
The dog was wiggling its tail
Do not confuse their and they're. Their is the possesive adjective for they. They're is a contraction of they are.
They are best friends (=They're best friends.)
I wanted to see their performance
-Hey, have you seen my phone anywhere?
-No, I haven't seen it. Maybe you should check your backpack - when I lose my phone, it's usually there!
-I can't seem to find it there though. Could you call me?
-Yeah, sure. I think I have your number.
-I don't want to use our company phone for personal matters. And I really hope that I haven't lost my phone somewhere.
Fill in the gaps with my, your, his, her, its, our, their.
Peter is from the UK. .................... wife is from the US.
These students didn't do .................... homework.
Look at the kitten! Look at .................... tiny paws!
Mary loves .................... grandfather a lot. She visits him every week.
Pam and kate go to high school. .................... little brother goes to nursery school.
We go to the same school. .................... school is amazing!
I don't like .................... haircut. I think it doesn't suit me.
Fill in the gaps with it's, its, they're, their.