Write each pronoun and tell whether it is personal or possessive.
3. The ending of West Side Story is slightly different from the ending of the famous tragedy on which it is based.
4. Like Romeo and Juliet the modern play has a bitter feud and an unlikely romance at the center of its plot.
Each sentence has one pronoun. Can you see which pronoun in each sentence? If you're not sure you can look a suspected word up in a dictionary. I'll be glad to check your work.
Number 3: it-personal
Number 4: its-persona
Is this correct?
3 is right.
4 is possessive
I've always objected to calling "its" a pronoun, as it is clearly being used as an adjective.
Too bad there's not a second form, as with
my - adjective
mine - pronoun
Each pronoun has different cases (uses), but they are still pronouns:
I (nominative)
me (objective)
my, mine (possessive)
we (nominative)
us (objective)
our, ours (possessive)
it (nominative)
it (objective)
its (possessive)
And yes, possessives are always modifying/describing something else (a noun), just as adjectives do: my headache, our choices, its wing
To identify the pronouns in the given sentences and determine whether they are personal or possessive, follow these steps:
1. Read each sentence carefully.
2. Identify the words that represent a person or thing without naming them.
3. Classify each identified word as personal or possessive.
Now let's apply this process to the sentences provided:
Sentence 3: The ending of West Side Story is slightly different from the ending of the famous tragedy on which it is based.
The pronouns in this sentence are:
- "it": personal pronoun referring to West Side Story and is therefore personal.
Sentence 4: Like Romeo and Juliet, the modern play has a bitter feud and an unlikely romance at the center of its plot.
The pronouns in this sentence are:
- "it": personal pronoun referring to the modern play and is therefore personal.
- "its": possessive pronoun modifying the noun "plot" and indicating ownership.
So, to summarize:
Sentence 3: Personal pronoun - "it"
Sentence 4: Personal pronouns - "it", Possessive pronoun - "its"