Plural Possessive Pronoun(7 Important Facts)

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Poronouns are words which we use to replace nouns and noun phrases.Possessive pronouns denotes ownership.Let us conquer what is meant by a plural possessive pronoun.

Plural possessive pronouns show us  plural ownership or possession.  Ours , yours, theirs are the plural possessive pronouns. A possessive pronoun substitutes a possessive adjective +noun to get rid of repetitive  information.

For example:

1.These are my bangles and those are yours.

 Here we used the plural possessive pronoun yours which substitutes ‘your bangles’ . Your is a possessive adjective and books is a noun.

2.I visited Joy’s house yesterday. He will come to ours tomorrow.

Here ours is the plural possessive pronoun. Instead of repeating ‘our house’ we used the plural possessive pronoun ‘ours’. Our is a possessive adjective and ‘house’ is a noun.

3.Amal and his friends bought sweaters.His sweater is better than theirs.

Here theirs is the plural possessive pronoun. Theirs conveys the meaning ‘their sweaters’ or Amal’s friends’ sweaters.

plural possessive pronoun
Plural possessive pronoun.

Can possessive pronouns be plural?

  We use possessive pronouns to show the ownership. When the possession or the ownership belongs to more than one person,object or a plural subject then that is plural possessive pronoun.

For example.

1.My books are blue in colour.Yours are red.

 Here yours is the plural possessive pronoun.

When possessive pronouns are plural?

Possessive pronouns are plural when they refer to more than one objects,things or persons.

For example:

1.That blue house near the flower shop is ours.

 Here ours is the plural possessive pronoun.

Which possessive pronouns are plural?

    Ours,  theirs , yours  are the possessive pronouns which are plural.

 For example.

1.This is not our table mat.Ours has got a red flower painted on it.

    Here ours is the plural possessive pronoun.We used ‘ours’ to avoid using the expression ‘our table mat’ again.

2.My clay pot is broken.Theirs is still intact.

    Here theirs is the possessive pronoun. ‘Theirs’ indicates ‘their clay pot’.

 Why are possessive pronouns plural?

     Possessive pronouns are plural because they denote plural ownership or possession.

For Example.

1.Your  car is a latest model SUV. Ours is an old one.

Here ours denotes plural ownership.

2.Your parents are very friendly.Theirs are not.

Here theirs is used instead of repeating ‘their parents’.

Which possessive pronouns are always plural.

       Possessive pronouns namely ours, theirs and yours are always plural.

For Example.

1.We should  not hesitate to enter the house.This is ours.

Here ours is the plural possessive pronoun.

2.Our garden is beautiful but theirs is more beautiful.

Here theirs is the plural possessive pronoun.Instead of repeating ‘their garden’,we used ‘theirs’.

Plural possessive pronoun examples.

1.The red wheelbarrow is ours.

 Here ours indicates plural ownership.Instead of repeating ‘our wheelbarrow’ ,we used the possessive plural pronoun ‘ours’.

2.The property on the left side of the hospital is theirs.

Here theirs is the plural possessive pronoun.By using ‘theirs’ we avoided  repeating the expression ‘their property’.

3.My book is in my bag.I hope,that is yours.

Here yours is the plural possessive pronoun.Instead of repeating ‘you book’ ,we used the possessive plural pronoun ‘yours’.

4.Let us inform the players.I think the football is theirs.

Here theirs is the plural possessive pronoun.If we say ‘their football’ in the second sentence ,that will sound repetitive .In order to avoid that we used the plural possessive pronoun ‘theirs’.

5.Our cafe is on the right side of the building.Theirs is on the left side.

Here theirs is the plural possessive pronoun.Using ‘their café’ again will not sound good.Therefore we used the plural possessive pronoun ‘theirs’.

Notes to remember   

Plural Possessive pronouns should not be used with an apostrophe.

For Example

 1.That building is theirs.

    Theirs is the correct expression.’Their’s’ is wrong.

 Do not use nouns nouns after possessive pronouns.It goes same with plural possessive pronouns too.

For Example.

1.These pens are mine.Those are yours.

 Here we should not say ‘yours bags’.

Conclusion.Plural possessive pronouns are used when the possession is plural.