Possessive adjectives are words used to indicate ownership or to describe a relationship. They are used to modify nouns and indicate to whom or what something belongs. For example, “my book,” “your car,” and “their house” all use possessive adjectives to clarify ownership.
What is a Possessive Adjective?
A possessive adjective is a word used before a noun to show possession, belonging, or association. These adjectives help specify who owns or is associated with the noun. For example, “my” in “my bag” and “our” in “our school” are possessive adjectives.
Possessive adjective वह शब्द होता है जो किसी noun के पहले ownership या belongingness दिखाने के लिए use किया जाता है। ये adjectives यह स्पष्ट करते हैं कि noun किससे संबंधित है। जैसे, “my bag” में “my” और “our school” में “our” possessive adjectives हैं।
Definition of Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives are defined as words that modify nouns to indicate possession or a relationship. They agree with the possessor (the owner) and not the thing owned. Examples include “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” and “their.”
Possessive adjectives वे words होते हैं जो nouns को modify करते हैं और ownership या relationship को दर्शाते हैं। ये possessor (मालिक) के अनुसार use होते हैं, न कि उस चीज़ के अनुसार जो owned है। Examples हैं: “his,” “her,” “its,” “our,” और “their”।
Examples:
- English: “This is my pencil.”
Hindi: “यह मेरी pencil है।” - English: “Is that your car?”
Hindi: “क्या वह तुम्हारी car है?” - English: “Their ideas are unique.”
Hindi: “उनके ideas unique हैं।” - English: “Her dress is beautiful.”
Hindi: “उसकी dress सुंदर है।”
Tricky Possessive Adjective Examples
Though possessive adjectives seem straightforward, errors in usage or agreement can occur. Below are examples of common mistakes and corrections:
My/Your
- Incorrect: “This is mine book.”
- Correct: “This is my book.”
- Hindi: “यह मेरी किताब है।”
- Note: Possessive adjectives like “my” should directly modify the noun without additional pronouns.
His/Her
- Incorrect: “Her is a good singer.”
- Correct: “She is a good singer.” / “Her voice is beautiful.”
- Hindi: “वह एक अच्छी गायिका है।” / “उसकी आवाज़ सुंदर है।”
- Note: “Her” modifies a noun, while “she” is a subject pronoun.
Their/There
- Incorrect: “There car is parked outside.”
- Correct: “Their car is parked outside.”
- Hindi: “उनकी गाड़ी बाहर खड़ी है।”
- Note: “Their” is a possessive adjective, whereas “there” refers to a location.
Its/It’s
- Incorrect: “It’s color is bright.”
- Correct: “Its color is bright.”
- Hindi: “इसका रंग चमकीला है।”
- Note: “It’s” is a contraction for “it is,” while “its” is a possessive adjective.
Possessive Adjectives in Sentences
Here are examples of possessive adjectives used correctly, along with their Hindi translations:
- English: “This is our house.”
Hindi: “यह हमारा घर है।” - English: “Your bag is on the table.”
Hindi: “तुम्हारा बैग मेज पर है।” - English: “His dog is very friendly.”
Hindi: “उसका कुत्ता बहुत दोस्ताना है।” - English: “Their school is nearby.”
Hindi: “उनका स्कूल पास में है।” - English: “Its tail is short.”
Hindi: “इसकी पूंछ छोटी है।”
When Do We Use Possessive Adjectives?
We use possessive adjectives to show ownership or relationships between people, things, or ideas. They describe something that belongs to someone. For example, in the sentences “This is my book” or “Her car is new,” the words “my” and “her” are possessive adjectives indicating ownership.
हम possessive adjectives का use ownership या लोगों, चीजों, या विचारों के बीच संबंध को दिखाने के लिए करते हैं। ये बताते हैं कि कुछ किसी का है।
जैसे, “यह मेरी किताब है” या “उसकी गाड़ी नई है,” में “मेरी” और “उसकी” ownership दिखाने वाले possessive adjectives हैं।
Possessive Adjective Rules
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Using Possessive Adjectives with Nouns:
Possessive adjectives are always used before nouns to indicate who owns the item or with whom the noun is associated.
Example:
English: “This is our house.”
Hindi: “यह हमारा घर है।”
-
Showing Relationships Using Possessive Adjectives:
They can also describe relationships, such as family ties or other associations.
Example:
English: “His brother is a doctor.”
Hindi: “उसका भाई डॉक्टर है।”
-
Using Possessive Adjectives with Singular and Plural Nouns:
Possessive adjectives are the same regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural.
Example:
English: “Their car is fast.” / “Their cars are fast.”
Hindi: “उनकी गाड़ी तेज है।” / “उनकी गाड़ियाँ तेज हैं।”
-
Using Possessive Adjectives with Demonstratives:
Possessive adjectives can be combined with demonstratives to make the ownership clearer.
Example:
English: “This is his book.”
Hindi: “यह उसकी किताब है।”
-
Using Possessive Adjectives in Questions:
In questions, possessive adjectives help ask about ownership or relationships.
Example:
English: “Is this your bag?”
Hindi: “क्या यह तुम्हारा बैग है?”
-
Possessive Adjectives with Reflexive Verbs:
When reflexive verbs are used, possessive adjectives still indicate ownership.
Example:
English: “She combed her hair.”
Hindi: “उसने अपने बाल सँवारे।”
-
Avoiding Repetition with Possessive Adjectives:
Instead of repeating a noun, possessive adjectives can be used for clarity.
Example:
English: “I took my pen; she took hers.”
Hindi: “मैंने अपना पेन लिया; उसने अपना लिया।”
-
Forming Negative Sentences with Possessive Adjectives
Negative sentences can include possessive adjectives to deny ownership or relationship.
Example:
English: “That is not my notebook.”
Hindi: “वह मेरी नोटबुक नहीं है।”
-
Questions with Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives are commonly used in questions to ask about ownership or association.
Example:
English: “Whose book is this? Is it yours?”
Hindi: “यह किताब किसकी है? क्या यह तुम्हारी है?”
Typical Errors with Possessive Adjectives
Using possessive adjectives correctly is essential for clear communication and to avoid common mistakes.
Possessive adjectives का सही उपयोग communication को स्पष्ट बनाता है और सामान्य गलतियों से बचाता है।
Common Errors:
Substituting Possessive Adjectives with Possessive Pronouns
One common mistake is using a possessive pronoun in place of a possessive adjective.
- Example:
Incorrect: “These are mine shoes.”
Correction: “These are my shoes.” - Hindi:
गलत: “ये मेरे shoes हैं।”
सही: “ये मेरी shoes हैं।”
Omitting the Noun After the Possessive Adjective
Possessive adjectives must always be followed by a noun. Omitting the noun makes the sentence incomplete.
Example:
- Incorrect: “This is your.”
- Correction: “This is your bag.”
Hindi: - गलत: “यह तुम्हारा है।”
- सही: “यह तुम्हारा bag है।”
Using the Wrong Possessive Adjective for Gender
Using the wrong possessive adjective (his or her) for a person can lead to confusion.
Example:
- Incorrect: “This is her book” (when referring to a boy).
- Correction: “This is his book.”
Hindi: - गलत: “यह उसकी किताब है।” (जब लड़के की बात हो रही हो।)
- सही: “यह उसकी किताब है।”
Repeating Possessive Adjectives Unnecessarily
Adding a possessive adjective redundantly in the sentence can make it awkward.
Example:
- Incorrect: “This is my my bag.”
- Correction: “This is my bag.”
Hindi: - गलत: “यह मेरा मेरा bag है।”
- सही: “यह मेरा bag है।”
Confusing Plural Possessive Adjectives with Singular Ones
Using a singular possessive adjective for plural subjects creates grammatical errors.
Example:
- Incorrect: “Their dog is barking.” (referring to one person).
- Correction: “His dog is barking.”
Hindi: - गलत: “उनका कुत्ता भौंक रहा है।” (एक व्यक्ति के लिए)।
- सही: “उसका कुत्ता भौंक रहा है।”
Difference Between Possessive Adjectives and Possessive Pronouns
The main difference between possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns lies in their usage and position in a sentence. Possessive adjectives are always followed by a noun, describing ownership or relationship, while possessive pronouns replace the noun entirely, avoiding repetition.
Possessive Adjectives और Possessive Pronouns के बीच मुख्य अंतर उनके उपयोग और वाक्य में स्थिति में होता है। Possessive Adjectives हमेशा noun के साथ आते हैं और ownership या संबंध को दर्शाते हैं, जबकि Possessive Pronouns noun की जगह लेते हैं और पुनरावृत्ति से बचाते हैं।
Comparison:
Possessive Adjective:
- English: “This is my book.”
- Hindi: “यह मेरी किताब है।”
Possessive Pronoun:
- English: “This book is mine.”
- Hindi: “यह किताब मेरी है।”
Possessive Adjective:
- English: “That is her car.”
- Hindi: “वह उसकी गाड़ी है।”
Possessive Pronoun:
- English: “That car is hers.”
- Hindi: “वह गाड़ी उसकी है।”
Possessive Adjective:
- English: “We brought our lunch.”
- Hindi: “हमने अपना लंच लाया।”
Possessive Pronoun:
- English: “This lunch is ours.”
- Hindi: “यह लंच हमारा है।”
Practice Questions Related to Possessive Adjectives
Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive adjective (choose the correct option in brackets):
- This is __ (my/our) book.
- She is talking to __ (his/her) friend.
- They brought __ (their/our) lunch to school.
- He forgot to bring __ (his/my) phone.
- We invited everyone to __ (our/your) housewarming party.
- I love spending time with __ (my/their) family.
- She is proud of __ (her/our) achievements.
- The dog is wagging __ (its/his) tail.
- They shared __ (their/my) notes with the class.
- He parked __ (his/their) car in the garage.
- We need to clean __ (our/its) room before the guests arrive.
- She thanked me for lending __ (my/her) pen.
- You should always respect __ (your/our) elders.
- He forgot to lock __ (his/its) bicycle.
- They are celebrating __ (their/our) anniversary today.
Answers:
- my
- her
- their
- his
- our
- my
- her
- its
- their
- his
- our
- her
- your
- his
- their
Frequently Asked Questions About Possessive Adjectives
Q1: What is a possessive adjective?
Answer: A possessive adjective is a word used before a noun to show ownership, possession, or relationship. It modifies the noun and indicates to whom it belongs. Examples of possessive adjectives include my, your, his, her, its, our, and their.
Example:
“This is my book.”
“Their car is parked outside.”
Q2: How is a possessive adjective different from a possessive pronoun?
Answer: A possessive adjective is always followed by a noun, whereas a possessive pronoun replaces the noun entirely.
Example:
Possessive adjective: “This is my pen.”
Possessive pronoun: “This pen is mine.”
Q3: Can possessive adjectives be used without a noun?
Answer: No, possessive adjectives always need to be followed by a noun. They cannot stand alone in a sentence.
Incorrect: “This is my.”
Correct: “This is my book.”
Q4: Do possessive adjectives change according to the number or gender of the noun?
Answer: Possessive adjectives do not change based on the gender of the noun in English. However, they may change based on the subject of the sentence (e.g., his vs. her).
Examples:
- “This is his laptop.”
- “This is her laptop.”
Q5: How are possessive adjectives used with plural nouns?
Answer: Possessive adjectives remain the same when modifying plural nouns. The plurality is shown in the noun, not in the adjective.
Example:
- Singular: “This is my book.”
- Plural: “These are my books.”
Conclusion
Understanding and correctly using possessive adjectives is crucial for clear and effective communication in English. Possessive adjectives help indicate ownership, relationships, or association and ensure that sentences are concise and meaningful. By mastering their usage, learners can easily modify nouns to show possession or connection, whether referring to people, objects, or ideas that will improve their Spoken English.
Possessive adjectives like my, your, his, her, its, our, and their are integral to everyday conversations and written communication. With consistent practice, learners can minimise errors and enhance their overall proficiency in English. Possessive adjectives form a foundational part of sentence construction, enabling speakers to convey ideas smoothly and confidently in any context.
