Hello!
Why don't we say possessive pronouns in English for the following words: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their. Why do we say possessive adjectives? It doesn't make sense to me since my mother tongue is not English. Can you maybe explain this to me?
Thank you
And one more thing how come is it possible to say My family are from Rome?
The words you listed are possessive - they're the possessive forms of personal pronouns. All possessives, nouns or pronouns, serve as adjectives if you think about it. To say "my brother's red jacket" is telling you two different things about the jacket: It's red and it belongs to my brother. And the word "my" tells you something about "brother" - that he's MY brother not someone else's.
"My family are from Rome" is possible because "family" as a collective noun.
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/plurals.htm#collective_nouns
Let me know if you have any questions about the explanation in that linked webpage.
Hello! I'd be happy to explain the difference between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives in English.
In English, both possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives are used to show ownership or possession. However, they are used in slightly different ways.
Possessive pronouns are used when the noun they refer to has already been mentioned or is understood by both the speaker and the listener. They replace the noun completely and do not require additional nouns. For example:
- "Is this your book?" "No, it's mine." (Here, "mine" is a possessive pronoun that stands alone, replacing the noun "book".)
- "These are our pets." "Their names are Max and Bella." (In this example, "their" is a possessive pronoun used to refer to the noun "pets" that was mentioned before.)
On the other hand, possessive adjectives are used to describe a noun, indicating possession or ownership. They come before the noun and need to be followed by a noun. For example:
- "This is my car." (The possessive adjective "my" describes the noun "car".)
- "Are those your keys?" (In this example, "your" is a possessive adjective describing the noun "keys".)
So, the main difference is that possessive pronouns replace the noun they refer to, while possessive adjectives are used to describe or modify a noun.
It is worth noting that possessive adjectives and possessive pronouns have the same forms: my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their. This is what might be causing some confusion. In English, we use possessive adjectives in most situations to show ownership, while possessive pronouns are used when the noun they refer to is already clear from the context.
I hope this helps clarify the difference between possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives in English!