Possessives Worksheet Practice Exercises with Answers

Possessives are words that show who owns something or what belongs to whom. The possessives are underlined in the sentences below.

1. I sold my car.
2. Betty's neighbor is an architect.

The possessive in sentence 1 is called a possessive pronoun; the possessive in sentence 2 is called a possessive proper noun. Notice that, just like articles and demonstratives, possessive pronouns and possessive proper nouns can appear directly before a noun. We'll discuss each of these separately.

Possessive Pronouns

There are just a few possessive pronouns that function as determiners. These are commonly referred to as possessive pronouns with determiner function or possessive adjectives. We will call them simply determiner possessive pronouns. (For another function of possessive pronouns, see Lesson 24.)

Quick Tip 14.1

The determiner possessive pronouns are: my, your, his, her, its, our, their.

Question 1. Underline the determiner possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Answer: Sample: My school won the state championship last year.

Exam Tip: Look for words that show ownership or belonging and appear right before a noun - these are possessive pronouns used as determiners.

Question 2. Getting Started - Underline the determiner possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(1) His face always shows what he's thinking. (His)
(2) They go to their house in the mountains every summer. (their)
(3) It took three days for your letter to get here. (your)
(4) We liked her mother. (her)
(5) Our product is superior to what you have to offer. (Our)
In simple words: Find the word that shows who owns or possesses the noun that follows it in each sentence.

Exam Tip: The possessive determiner always comes directly before the noun it describes - check what word appears right before the main noun.

Question 3. More Practice - Underline the determiner possessive pronoun in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(6) The price of the stock I am considering buying does not reflect its true worth.
(7) Would you like to take a ride in your new car?
(8) Friends, I will be counting on your votes.
(9) The children went to the movies together with their father.
(10) Matt does not share his feelings easily.
In simple words: Find the possessive pronoun that shows who the noun belongs to - it comes just before the noun in the sentence.

Exam Tip: Remember that possessive pronouns function as determiners and must appear directly before a noun to show ownership.

Possessive Proper Nouns

The possessive proper nouns are underlined in this next sentence:

3. I saw Mary's cat chase Mrs. Smith's dog, which ran across Jim's yard.

Remember, names do not have to be names of just people. For example, London's, America's, and IBM's are each possessive proper nouns: London's bridges, America's highways, IBM's products. (See Lesson 6 to remind yourself about proper nouns.)

Question 4. Underline the possessive proper noun in each of the sentences below.
Answer: Sample: Gone With the Wind's cast was amazing.

Exam Tip: Possessive proper nouns are formed by adding an apostrophe and 's' to a proper noun - look for names of people, places, or organizations with this pattern.

Question 5. Getting Started - Underline the possessive proper noun in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(1) Leah's eyes met those of the man at the counter.
(2) It was Harry's turn to say something.
(3) They were impressed by Rome's restaurants.
(4) Mickey Mouse's picture is hanging on my wall.
(5) John always wanted to visit Harvard's campus.
In simple words: Find the proper noun (a person's, place's, or organization's name) that shows ownership by having an apostrophe and 's' attached to it.

Exam Tip: Possessive proper nouns always have an apostrophe before the final 's' - look for this punctuation pattern with proper nouns.

Question 6. More Practice - Underline the possessive proper noun in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(6) France's soccer team lost to another team.
(7) Macy's women's department is on the third floor.
(8) Mrs. Johnson's office is located directly above mine.
(9) After dinner, we went up to Beth's apartment.
(10) I never get tired of The Beatles' songs.
In simple words: Look for a proper noun with an apostrophe and 's' at the end - this shows the noun owns or possesses something.

Exam Tip: When a proper noun is plural and already ends in 's', add only an apostrophe (like "The Beatles'") rather than an apostrophe and another 's'.

Question 7. Underline the possessive determiner in each of the sentences below. The determiner will either be a possessive pronoun or a possessive proper noun.
Answer: Sample: Your committee is meeting tomorrow.

Exam Tip: A possessive determiner shows who owns something and comes right before a noun - it can be either a possessive pronoun or a possessive proper noun.

Question 8. Getting Started - Underline the possessive determiner in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(1) She suggested that it was all Martin's fault.
(2) Why don't you give it to your daughter?
(3) That was a breathtaking view of New York's skyline.
(4) He bought a souvenir for his son.
(5) The Adamses did not care for their new neighbors.
In simple words: Find the word that shows who owns the noun - it comes right before the noun and can be a possessive pronoun or a possessive proper noun.

Exam Tip: Remember that possessive determiners always appear directly before a noun and tell you who owns or possesses that noun.

Question 9. More Practice - Underline the possessive determiner in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(6) The public was eagerly awaiting Congress's new energy policy.
(7) My apartment is either too hot or too cold.
(8) Abraham Lincoln's life was interesting.
(9) Our crew prepared to dock.
(10) On Thursday afternoon, the actor was practicing his lines.
In simple words: Locate the possessive determiner that shows who owns the noun it comes before - could be a possessive pronoun like "my" or a possessive proper noun like "Lincoln's".

Exam Tip: When checking your work, make sure the possessive determiner you found is placed directly before the noun it modifies.

To Enhance Your Understanding

While possessive proper nouns can function as determiners, possessive common nouns (see Lesson 6), for example the girl's hat, are considered to be adjectives. (See Lesson 16 for more about adjectives.) This is because possessive common nouns, but not possessive proper nouns, can have a determiner in front of them - keeping in mind that a noun will generally have just one determiner introducing it. See the following examples:

4. The girl's hat is new. (girl's = possessive common noun)
5. *The Mary's hat is new. (Mary's = possessive proper noun)

Question 10. For each determiner below, indicate if it is an article (e.g. the, an), demonstrative (e.g. this, those), possessive pronoun (e.g. your, our), or possessive proper noun (e.g. Mary's, London's).
Answer: Sample: Law and Order's - possessive proper noun

Exam Tip: Memorize the different categories of determiners and their characteristics to quickly classify any determiner you encounter.

Question 11. Getting Started - For each determiner below, indicate if it is an article, demonstrative, possessive pronoun, or possessive proper noun.
Answer:
(1) their - possessive pronoun
(2) an - article
(3) George's - possessive proper noun
(4) those - demonstrative
(5) its - possessive pronoun
In simple words: Sort each determiner into its correct category - remember that articles are "the" and "a/an", demonstratives point to things like "this" or "that", possessive pronouns show ownership like "my" or "your", and possessive proper nouns are names with apostrophe-s like "Mary's".

Exam Tip: When classifying determiners, think about whether the word shows ownership (possessive), points to something (demonstrative), names something specific (article), or fits into a pattern you already know.

Question 12. More Practice - For each determiner below, indicate if it is an article, demonstrative, possessive pronoun, or possessive proper noun.
Answer:
(6) the - article
(7) San Francisco's - possessive proper noun
(8) this - demonstrative
(9) my - possessive pronoun
(10) a - article
In simple words: Look at each word and decide which type of determiner it is - is it naming a thing, pointing to a thing, showing who owns something, or a word that shows ownership with a name?

Exam Tip: Practice classifying determiners by grouping them with similar words you already know - this helps you recognize patterns and answer faster.

Question 13. Underline the determiner in each of the sentences below. It will either be an article, demonstrative, possessive pronoun, or possessive proper noun. Some sentences may contain more than one determiner.
Answer: Sample: The room contained a sofa, a chair, and, on the wall, Melinda's portrait.

Exam Tip: Remember that some sentences have multiple determiners - always check the entire sentence carefully before moving on.

Question 14. Getting Started - Underline the determiner in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(1) She knew what her mother had done for the family.
(2) There wasn't much information in his letters.
(3) These books are clearly the best.
(4) Rosa's husband put a surprise in her lunch box.
(5) Jerry's uncle likes to drink a glass of wine with his dinner.
In simple words: Find and underline every word in each sentence that shows ownership, points to something, or names something - some sentences have more than one determiner.

Exam Tip: Go through each sentence word by word - ask yourself "does this word show who owns it, point to it, or name it?" to identify all determiners present.

Question 15. More Practice - Underline the determiner in each of the sentences below.
Answer:
(6) This actress should get an Oscar for her performance in that movie.
(7) The doctor's secretary usually walks a mile on her lunch break.
(8) Those children love to take a dip in their new pool in the backyard.
(9) On her way to work, Maggie's car broke down.
(10) Jet Blue's crew served dinner while I was sleeping.
In simple words: Look through each sentence and underline every determiner you find - remember to check for articles, demonstratives, possessive pronouns, and possessive proper nouns.

Exam Tip: When a sentence has multiple determiners, underline each one separately - don't miss any by skipping over words too quickly.