Possessive pronouns vs possessive adjectives

Question

Hello! I recently learned more about possessive pronouns. I know that the possessive pronouns are : ours, yours, mine , theirs , hers, his. Why “its” is not a possessive pronoun? Is it a possessive adjective? I’m very confused.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

hungryforlanguageWhy is“its” is not a possessive pronoun? Is it a possessive adjective? I’m very confused.

"its" is both a possessive pronoun and a possessive adjective.

However, hardly anybody ever uses it as a possessive pronoun, so it's not always listed with the possessive pronouns. It sounds strange to native speakers to hear "its" as a possessive pronoun. I recommend you not even try to use it.

Are these eggs from the brown chicken? Yes, they are its.

Say Yes, they are from that chicken.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

hungryforlanguage
Hello! I recently learned more about possessive pronouns. I know that the possessive pronouns are : ours, yours, mine , theirs , hers, his. Why “its” is not a possessive pronoun? Is it a possessive adjective? I’m very confused.

So you're talking about the 'independent' forms of the possessive pronouns, as opposed to the dependent forms.

The possessive pronoun "its" is virtually restricted to its dependent form (I like its powerful engine). Examples of independent "its" are rare but are occasionally found:

The New York Times respects its readers more than the New York Daily News respects its.

The local authority sold off properties that weren't its to sell in the first place.

Note that in both those examples "its" could be replaced by "theirs".

Possessive pronouns vs possessive adjectives

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