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Possessive adjectives are used to show ownership.

The possessive adjectives are:

Since the possessive adjectives are used to show ownership, they are always followed by a noun.

Pattern:  (possessive adjective) + N

Examples:

I was late for class today.  My alarm did not go off this morning for some reason.
Did you find your house keys yet?
Bill has a book.  His book is old.
My grandmother had a tough life.  When her father died, she had to quit school.
The cat howled when it got its tail caught in the door.
Our children like to play chess.
Men, please remove your hats while the national anthem is playing.
Did John and Jane show you their vacation pictures?

Note:
its and it’s have the same pronunciation, but they do NOT have the same meaning:

it’s – it is:

It’s (It is) very windy today.

its – possessive adjective:

The tree has lost all its leaves.

Are you confused about whether you should use “its” or “it’s”?  Substitute “it is” for “it’s.”
•    If your sentence still makes sense, then “it’s” was correct.
•    If your sentence does not make sense, then you need “its” instead.

Example:

It’s very windy today. ==> It is very windy today.

This makes sense.  “it’s” is correct.

The tree has lost all it’s leaves. ==> The tree has lost all it is leaves.

This does not make sense, so “it’s” is wrong – use “its” instead:  The tree has lost all its leaves.

Exercises.  Use a possessive adjective (my, your, his, hers, its, our, their) to complete the sentences.

Example:

John scratched _______ head.  ==> John scratched his head.

1.    Jack grabbed the dog by _______ collar.
2.    Mr. and Mrs. Smith showed me _______ new house.
3.    I took off _______ shoes and ran barefoot through the grass.
4.    If you want, you can bring _______ mother to the party.
5.    I told _______ brother to leave me alone.
6.    Somehow the garbage can has lost _______ lid.
7.    We have room in _______ car, if you’d like to ride with us.
8.    Mrs. Brown read _______ favorite novel every day during lunch.
9.    Have you seen _______ glasses?  I can’t find them anywhere.
10.    The football player broke _______ ankle playing tennis.
11.    We listened to Mr. Jones practice _______ speech for the convention.
12.    I was disappointed to find out _______ painting didn’t win a prize.
13.    The farmer went to town to sell _______ pumpkins at the market.
14.    Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten _______ seat belts.
15.    I asked the musician for _______ autograph.
16.    Please put _______ plate in the sink when you’ve finished eating.
17.    We gave _______ band director a gift when he retired.
18.    I thought I told you to clean _______ room.
19.    Jack and Jill announced _______ engagement at the party last week.
20.    Some of the younger boy scouts had trouble setting up _______ tents.
21.    Class, take out _______ books and turn to page 42.
22.    The bride pulled the veil over _______ face.
23.    The empty barrel was tipped over and lying on _______ side.
24.    We haven’t planned _______ vacation yet.
25.    If you get lost, you can always give me a call on _______ cell phone.

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