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My, his, her, their: possessives, plurals and demonstratives

This is my bag. Those are their books. A possessive tells us who something belongs to; a demonstrative points to it. Check both ownership and singular or plural before choosing the words.

English 1AC · Original supplementary practice · Follow your teacher’s sequence · Updated

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Le support, la méthode et les exercices corrigés à imprimer.

By the end of this lesson, you can

  • Identify the owner before choosing a possessive
  • Point to one object or several
  • Change the whole noun phrase into the plural

Before you startRead simple English sentences; use the starter lesson if you need help with names or numbers.

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How do I choose my, his, her, this and these?

Choose a possessive from the owner: Sara's book is her book; Adam's book is his book. Choose this or that for one thing and these or those for several. This/these point to nearer things; that/those point to farther things.

Two schoolboys at separate desks, a blue notebook and two red pencils clearly belonging to different desks,
Choose a possessive according to the owner.
View full-size image

Identify the owner before choosing a possessive

Use my for I, your for you, his for he, her for she, its for it, our for we and their for they. The owner chooses the possessive: Sara's father is her father. Possessives stay the same with singular and plural nouns: my book, my books.

Use this for one near object and these for several near objects. Use that for one far object and those for several far objects. Pair this/that with is and these/those with are. Most plurals add s; box becomes boxes and dictionary becomes dictionaries. Child becomes children.

Point to one object or several

Position and numberSentenceOwner
Near, oneThis is my pencil.my = the speaker's
Near, severalThese are her pencils.her = Sara's
Far, oneThat is our classroom.our = the group's
Far, severalThose are their bags.their = the students'

Read a classroom ownership scene

Four tidy object groups labelled exactly: this book / these books / that bag / those bags. Near objects large in front, far objects smaller in back.
This/that are singular; these/those are plural.
View full-size image

Read and explain this example

This is our classroom. These are my notebooks. That is Hamza's bag; his bag is blue. Those are Sara's pencils. Her pencils are red. Their teacher keeps dictionaries on the shelf.

Change the whole noun phrase into the plural

There are two separate decisions in These are her pencils. These tells us that the pencils are near and plural. Her tells us who owns them. Making pencil plural does not change her. If you move the pencils farther away, These becomes Those, but the owner may stay the same. Treating these decisions separately helps you avoid changing every word when only one detail changes.

Name cards link Adam to his sister and Sara to her brother. One book and several books illustrate my book and my books.
Use is with one object and are with several.
View full-size image

Remember

Its has no apostrophe when it means belonging to it. It's means it is or it has. Do not choose his because the object is a boy: choose it according to the owner.

Step by step

Put the idea into practice

  1. Name the owner and choose the matching possessive.
  2. Check whether the object is singular or plural and near or far.
  3. Read demonstrative, be and noun together: these + are + books.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose my, his, her, this and these?

Choose a possessive from the owner: Sara's book is her book; Adam's book is his book. Choose this or that for one thing and these or those for several. This/these point to nearer things; that/those point to farther things.

Why is Sara's father her father, although he is a man?

Her refers to Sara, the person whose relationship is being described. The gender of father does not choose the possessive.

Do possessive adjectives take a plural s?

No. Say their book and their books. Only the noun changes here.

Quiz: 1 questions

1 questions are randomly selected from this lesson’s 1-question bank. Choose one answer for each question and get an immediate explanation.

Q1Choose the plural sentence.

Correct answer: These are my books.

These and books are plural, so use are.

Exercises with answers

4 exercises, from easy practice to challenges. Try each one yourself, then reveal the answer and explanation.

Exercise 1

Easy

Sara has a brother: … brother. Adam has a sister: … sister.

Answer and explanation

Her brother; his sister. Sara and Adam determine the possessive.

Exercise 2

Intermediate

Change This is a box and That is a dictionary into plurals.

Answer and explanation

These are boxes. Those are dictionaries. Change demonstrative, be and noun.

Exercise 3

Challenge

Write one sentence about your objects and one about a friend's objects.

Answer and explanation

Example: These are my books. That is her ruler. Check the distance, number and owner in your own scene.

Exercise 4

Intermediate

Sara owns one nearby box. Write a sentence, then change it to several far boxes.

Answer and explanation

This is her box. Those are her boxes. Her stays the same because Sara is still the owner; the demonstrative, be and noun change.