Chapter 4 :

Possessives

We use possessives in English when we are referring to possession or ownership.

They are very important and can be used as pronouns or adjectives or following a
noun with ´s.

Subject pronoun Object pronoun Possessive adjective Possessive pronoun

I me my mine
you you your yours
it it its its
he him his his
she her her hers
we us our ours
they them their theirs

Now let me show you how to use them and when.

I know Sue. (I know her.) She knows me. It’s my book.

It’s mine.

David likes Liz. (He likes her.) She likes him. It’s his car. It’s his.
Liz likes David. It’s George’s car It’s George’s.

Conversation Practice :

Mark : Do you know that man ?

Barbara : Yes, I know him , but I can’t
remember his name.
Mark : Isn’t he a friend of yours?
Barbara : No, not really he works in my office,
but in a different department.
Mark : What about that woman ? Do you
know her ?
Barbara : Yes, I know her. Her name is Rachel.
She works in advertising with me.
Rachel’s office is right beside mine.
Mark : Does she have a boyfriend ?
Barbara : No, but she’s married . Sorry, Mark
better luck next time.
Exercises :
Finish the following dialogues using examples from the conversation practice.

1 A:. Do you know those people ?

B: Yes, I know ___________ , but I can’t remember _________ names.
2. A : Do you know Carol ?
B : Yes, I know ______ , but I can’t remember _____ name.

3. A: Are Adam and Anne friends of yours ?

B : No, they work in _____ office but in a different department.

4. A : Where does Stephen work ?

B : He works in _____ department. ______ office is beside _______ .

Unscramble the following sentences.

1. needs / Joe / my / car. ____________________________________ .

2. her / understand / problem / Susan’s parents __________________________ .

3. we / remember / friend’s / our / birthdays ______________________________

4. Susan / will invite / mother / her / dinner / for _________________________ .

5. want / I / my / tomorrow / money ____________________________________

Practice the following conversation, and then substitute using the items below.

A: I just found this agenda ? Is it yours ?

B: No, it isn’t mine. But it could be Lynn’s.
She can’t find hers.
A: Really, I´ll call her right now.
B: When you talk to her, please tell her I say “Hi.”
A: Sure, I´ll tell her. See you later.

Charlie’s film Nancy’s clock Barbara’s cat Warren’s empty can

Bob’s bike Larry’s cigar Keith’s bomb Tom’s money

Key Questions : Whose is this ? Whose are those ? Is this yours ?

Using the items above and on the previous page ask and answer questions using
possessives.

Ex. Whose video camera is this ? It´s Charlie’s. It is his.

Whose top hat is that ? It´s Larry’s. It is his.
Whose books are those ? They are Tom’s They are his.

Practice the key questions and the answers with your class and your teacher.

Some idioms using possessives:

A mans home is his castle. = A man feels the most comfortable in his home.

My money is your money. = We share our money.

Don’t judge a book by its cover. = You can’t judge someone/ something based on
what they look like.
You must look past the surface.

Our time is not our own. = We are always busy. We never have any time to
ourselves.

It’s a Bolt
Reflexive or Mirror Pronouns

We use mirror pronouns when we are referring to the same person in the same
sentence. In other words, when the subject and the object of the sentence are the
same.

Ex. I like to look at myself in the mirror. (not I like to look at me in the mirror.)
The old lady is sitting in the chair and talking to herself. (not The old lady is
sitting in the chair and talking to her.)
Subject Mirror Pronoun
I myself
you (sing and plural) yourself/yourselves
she herself
he himself
it itself
we ourselves
they themselves

Exercises :

Complete the following sentences using myself, yourself, himself, etc...

1. I am trying to teach __________ Spanish.

2. My husband and I are painting the house _______________ .

3. Margaret is learning to use the computer _______________ .

4. Be careful. The pot is really hot you could burn _____________ .

5. Don’t forget to bring your key. You don’t want to lock ___________ out of the
house.
Grammar Tip
We do not normally use these mirror pronouns after the verbs; wash, dress, shave,
feel, relax , concentrate.

Ex. I shave every morning. (not , I shave myself every morning)

She likes to relax in front of the television.
(not, She likes to relax herself in front of the television)
My brother washes his hair every morning.
(not, My brother washes himself every morning.)
If we talk about washing the entire body , we usually say:
My brother takes a shower/bath every morning.

Also, there is a difference between -selves and each other. Study the difference :
We look at ourselves in the mirror. = Two people are looking at themselves in the
mirror at the same time. BUT We look at each other . = I look at you and you
look at me at the same time.
These men are arguing with each other.
NOT
These men are arguing with
themselves.

They are yelling at each other.

NOT
They are yelling at themselves.

Now finish the following sentences with a mirror pronoun or each other.

1. At birthdays friends often give _______________ presents.

2. Did your parents enjoy _____________ when they went to France ?

3. When we have a bad argument. We usually don’t talk to __________ for a

while.

4. Sam is very selfish. He only thinks of _____________ .

5. My best friend and I live in different cities so we don’t see much of _________
these days.
**By myself, yourself, ourselves = alone. In English we can say:

I live by myself. = I live alone.

Alex likes to go to the movies by himself. = He likes to go to the movies alone.
We are going on vacation by ourselves. = We are going on vacation alone.(no kids)
Who did this painting ? I did it myself.
Who are you going to the art gallery with ? I am going by myself.
Fill in the blanks :
1. Do you need my help ? Yes, we can´t finish the work ________________ .

2. Where are your friends ? Oh, I am at this party _________________ .

3. I always see Roger at weddings _______________ . Does he have a girlfriend ?

Class Activity : Discuss things you like to do by

yourself and then things you like to do with others.
Adverbs of Frequency
Everyone is familiar with adverbs of frequency
although you may never have known what they were.
Words like; sometimes, usually, always, often, never,
rarely, seldom etc.. these are adverbs of frequency.
They are usually used with the simple present.

Ex.
My husband always flies on business.
Brenda often takes walks in the park.
Neil rarely watches soap operas on television.
Wendy and John usually go to bed after 12 o´clock.
Eric sometimes plays soccer on Saturday.
Francine seldom works overtime.
My sister never drinks coffee.

*Note the adverb always go before the simple present

tense verb except for sometimes which can go at the
beginning of the sentence or before the verb.
 Class Survey
Interview 5 of your classmates and find out about their habits and routines.

Adverb of frequency Name Activity

Always

Usually

Sometimes/ Occasionally

Rarely / Seldom

Never

Write it !
Fill in the blanks with the appropriate adverbs of
frequency and verbs from the following list.
Visit Take Study Like Go
Talk See Dance Eat Read

1.- I ______________ ______________ chicken soup.

2.- She _____________ ____________ to Tijuana.

3.- You ____________ ____________ to swim.

4.- They __________ ___________ each other.

5.- We ___________ ____________ together.
6.- She ______________ _____________ horror movies
7.- I _____________ ____________ parties.
8.- She __________ ___________ a shower.
9.- You _____________ ____________ on the telephone.
10.- They ____________ ____________ newspaper

Wrap-up :
In the following conversation
underline all the possessives, circle all
the reflexive pronouns, and put a star
beside all the adverbs of frequency.
Bill : Where is my
jacket, honey ?
Debbie : I don’t know. You
usually hang it up in the
front closet next to my
coat. I saw you put it
there myself.
Bill : No, I’m not talking
about my gray one. I’m
talking about my new
navy jacket.
Debbie : Oh, the one you bought
yourself . Yeah, I think
it’s upstairs in our
bedroom closet. You
always forget to look
there, don’t you ?
Bill : Yeah, yeah, yeah. I
know you’re right. I´ll
check.
Debbie : Good idea. Could you
please bring me my
glasses? I think their in
our bedroom.
Bill : Why don’t you use
mine. We have the same
prescription.
Debbie : Sometimes, you are such
a nut. Your glasses are
way too big for me.
Bill : Sometimes, we wear
each other’s glasses. You
wear mine and I wear
yours. That’s part of the
beauty of our
relationship. What’s
mine is yours and
what’s yours is mine.
Debbie . Inside the house,
maybe, but not if we are
going to a dinner party
my dear !

Cultural Note : You are (such) a nut means you are crazy or you are being silly.
It is an informal expression in English used among friends and
family not in a formal or professional situation. way too + adjective
(way to big ) as in the above conversation means extremely or very.
Again, it is quite a familiar expression and is not usually used in
formal situations.