What are Absolute Possessive Pronouns? Definition, Examples of Possessive Pronouns

Absolute possessive definition: Absolute possessive pronouns are pronouns that show possession and do not require an antecedent.

What is an Absolute Possessive Pronouns?

Absolute possessive pronouns are a particular type of pronoun. Most pronouns require an antecedent (noun) before they can be used. However, absolute possessive pronouns do not require an antecedent.

Absolute possessive pronouns show possession of a noun.

Example: The book is mine.

• There is no antecedent for “mine” in this example. The absolute possessive pronoun shows that that “I” possess the book, the noun.

Absolute Possessive Pronouns List:

• mine
• yours (singular/plural)
• his
• hers
• its
• ours
• theirs

Why Absolute Possessive?

Absolute possessive pronouns are called such because they can stand alone and they do not modify (or replace) nouns.

Absolute possessive pronouns stand apart and do not come before the words they modify (like possessive pronouns).

Possessive pronouns function as adjectives in that they modify nouns to show possession.

Possessive Pronoun Example:

• That paper is yours.
  • This example shows an absolute possessive in use. It stands completely separate from “the paper” and does not modify it.
• That is your book.
  • This example shows a possessive pronoun in use. It modifies “paper” in that it describes to whom the paper belongs.

Other Possessive Pronouns

Here is a list of the various possessive pronouns.

Possessive Pronouns List:

• • • my
    • your (singular/plural)
    • his
    • her
    • its
    • our
    • their
    • whose

Possessive pronouns, also called possessive adjectives, modify nouns to show ownership. They are placed before the noun they wish to possess.

Examples:

• • • Please take your
    • Let’s drive in her
    • We should read to our children

Note: Contractions are not personal pronouns.

• • • it’s = it is
    • you’re = you are
    • who’s = who is

What Do Pronouns Do?

Pronouns are vital to the English language. We use them on a daily basis to replace redundant nouns, and we often use them more frequently than we use their noun antecedents.

Pronouns eliminate repetitiveness and redundancy and make writing and speaking more efficient and effective.

Generally, pronouns replace antecedents. That is, an antecedent must be used before a pronoun can be used. If an antecedent is not used, in speech or writing, it is only because the antecedent is understood. In other words, there is still an antecedent but it does not need to be stated because the audience already knows to what the speaker is referring.

Examples of Why We Need Pronouns:

• • • Zoey and I went to the store. Zoey and I bought eggs, milk, and bread. Zoey and I made French toast when we returned home.
      • These sentences are redundant. The compound subject, “Zoey and I” can be simplified by the use of a pronoun to replace the antecedents.
  • • Zoey and I went to the store. There, we bought eggs, milk, and bread. We made French toast when we returned home.
      • Changing the compound subject to “we” for the second and third sentence makes the writing more effective and efficient. This is how pronouns benefit writing and speaking in English.

Most pronouns “stand in for” or replace nouns. However, the absolute pronoun can stand alone and does not require an antecedent.

Summary: What are Absolute Possessives?

Define absolute possessive pronoun: the definition of absolute possessive pronoun is a type of pronoun that stands alone without a noun.

In summary, absolute possessive pronouns,

• • are unlike other pronouns
  • do not require an antecedent
  • can stand alone
  • show possession