Is Possessive Pronoun A Subject:7 Facts You Should Know

This article will let us know, is possessive pronoun a subject. With the aid of possessive pronoun examples we will get to know if possessive pronoun can act as a subject pronoun or not.

Pronouns that are used in the place of nouns or noun phrases and represent the possession of objects to the nouns they are replacing are called possessive pronouns. Subject pronouns are those pronouns that are used as replacements to the nouns which are the subjects of the sentence.

The following possessive pronouns examples used as subjects of the sentences will give you a basic overview.

• 1. Everybody else’s books are there on the table. Mine is not there.
• 2. This is not our shipment. Ours is on its way.
• 3. I love everybody’s painting. But, yours is my favorite.
• 4. This is not their dog. Theirs is a brown colored one.
• 5. Your dish is nice, but hers is just amazing.

The words that are italicized in the above sentences are the possessive pronouns as they have replaced the nouns and also show ownership or belongingness of the object to the noun.

Can possessive pronoun be a subject pronoun?

Well, the answer is yes. Possessive pronoun can indeed be a subject pronoun.

Example: Hers was the last performance of the day.

‘Hers’ is the possessive pronoun in this sentence as it has replaced a person’s name and is showing the ownership of the last performance to that person (a female noun). Since, the possessive pronoun ‘hers’ is acting as the subject of the sentence, it is also a subject pronoun.

Hence, a possessive pronoun can also be a subject pronoun.

How can a possessive pronoun be a subject?

A possessive pronoun can be a subject as they function as the subject of the sentence by replacing the noun which is the subject of the sentence.

Example: This is my mobile phone. Yours is plugged on to the charger.

‘Yours’ is the possessive pronoun utilized in the above sentence. ‘Yours’ has taken the place of person’s name and it refers to the possession of the mobile phone connected to the charger to that particular person (noun). The possessive pronoun ‘yours’ also acts as a subject pronoun as it has replaced the noun which is the subject of the sentence.

When can a possessive pronoun be a subject?

A possessive pronoun becomes the subject of the sentence when it replaces the noun or the noun phrase which acts as the sentence’s subject.

Example: Your cycle is old. Mine is brand new.

In this sentence, ‘mine’ is the possessive pronoun as it shows the possession of the new brand cycle to a person (noun) that it has replaced. The possessive pronoun ‘mine’ does not only replace the noun and show possession but also is the subject of the sentence.

Thus, a possessive pronoun becomes the subject when it substitutes a noun that is in the place of the subject of a sentence.

What are the possessive subject pronouns?

The list of possessive subject pronouns are mine, yours, ours, his, hers, and theirs.

Example: Ours is the final presentation.

‘Ours’ is the possessive pronoun utilized in the above sentence. ‘Ours’ has taken the place of a few people’s name and it refers to the belongingness of the final presentation to that particular group of people (noun). The possessive pronoun ‘ours’ also acts as a subject pronoun as it has substituted the noun which is the subject of the sentence.

Relation between possessive pronoun and subject pronouns

Both the possessive pronouns and subject pronouns come under the personal pronouns. I, you, we, he, she, it, and they are the list of personal pronouns. The subject pronouns and the possessive pronouns are nothing but the forms of these personal pronouns.

While subject pronouns are a form of the personal pronouns used in the nominative case, possessive pronouns are a form of the personal pronouns utilized in the possessive case. When the possessive pronouns are used in the nominative case and in the possessive case, they become the subjects of the sentences.

Example: He is my younger brother who lives in Canada.

‘He’ is the subject pronoun in this sentence, as here, it is used in the nominative case and has replaced the name of the younger brother (noun).

Example: The blue color car parked here is theirs.

‘Theirs’ is the possessive pronoun utilized in this sentence, as here, it is used in the possessive case and has replaced the noun ‘their car’.

Example: Ramya’s gown is beautiful. But, yours is more beautiful.

‘Yours’ is the possessive pronoun in this sentence which is used in the nominative case as it acts as the subject of the sentence. ‘Yours’ here shows the possession of the beautiful gown to that of a person (noun) which the possessive pronoun has replaced. Hence possessive pronouns can become a subject pronoun is such cases.

Possessive subject pronoun examples

Do go through the following possessive subject pronoun examples to get to know how possessive pronouns are used as subjects of the sentences.

• 1. Mine is the first entry in the debate competition.
• 2. All the paintings are lovely but his is outstanding.
• 3. This is not our house. Ours is the pink colored one in the next street.
• 4. Every team presented well. But theirs was extraordinary.
• 5. The pencil in the box is mine. Yours is in the cupboard.
• 6. Your cat is white in color while hers in grey in color.
• 7. While everybody’s assignment is evaluated, yours is the only one that has to still be evaluated.

Possessive subject pronoun examples with detailed explanations

Now we will identify the possessive subject pronoun in each sentence, analyze and understand one of them precisely.

1. Mine is the first entry in the debate competition.

‘Mine’ is the possessive pronoun in this sentence as it has replaced a person’s name (noun of male or female gender) and it is showing the ownership of the first entry to that person (my entry). Since, the possessive pronoun ‘mine’ is acting as the subject of the sentence it can be called as possessive subject pronoun.

2. All the paintings are lovely but his is outstanding.

‘His’ is the possessive pronoun in utilized in this sentence to substitute a person’s name (a male noun) and to show the possession of the outstanding painting to that person (his painting). As the possessive pronoun ‘his’ is acting as the subject of the sentence it can be regarded as possessive subject pronoun.

3. This is not our house. Ours is the pink colored one in the next street.

The possessive pronoun utilized in this sentence is ‘ours’. ‘Ours’ has replaced the names of more than one person (noun) and also indicates the ownership of the pink colored house in the next street to the people (our house). Since, the possessive pronoun ‘ours’ is used as the subject of this sentence it can be called as possessive subject pronoun.

4. Every team presented well. But theirs was extraordinary.

The possessive pronoun utilized in this sentence is ‘theirs’. ‘Theirs’ has replaced the names of two or more people (noun) and also denotes the belongingness of the extraordinary presentation to that people (their presentation). As the possessive pronoun ‘theirs’ is used here as the subject of the sentence it can be regarded as possessive subject pronoun.

5. The pencil in the box is mine. Yours is in the cupboard.

‘Yours’ is the possessive pronoun in utilized in this sentence to substitute a person’s name (a male or a female noun) and to show the possession of the pencil in the cupboard to that person (your pencil). As the possessive pronoun ‘yours’ is acting as the subject of the sentence it can also be called as possessive subject pronoun. ‘Mine’ is another possessive pronoun here but it is not the subject as it is the object of the sentence.

6. Your cat is white in color while hers in grey in color.

‘Hers’ is the possessive pronoun in utilized in the above sentence to substitute a person’s name (a female noun) and to show the possession of the grey color cat to that girl or woman (her cat). As the possessive pronoun ‘hers’ is acting here as the subject of the sentence it can be called as possessive subject pronoun.

7. While everybody’s assignment is evaluated, yours is the only one that has to still be evaluated.

The possessive pronoun utilized in this sentence is ‘yours’. The possessive pronoun, ‘yours’ in this sentence, has replaced the name of a person (a masculine or a feminine noun). It also is used to denote the belongingness of the assignment that has to still be evaluated to that particular person (your assignment). Since the possessive pronoun ‘yours’ is used here as the subject of the sentence it can be regarded as possessive subject pronoun.

Conclusion

The above article thus explains how, when and why a possessive pronoun becomes a subject pronoun. The examples and the explanations help us understand that possessive pronouns can show possession and also can be used in the nominative case at the same time.