Question 1

When do I use ours instead of our?

Accepted Answer

"Our" is a possessive adjective that must come before a noun: "our car," "our idea," "our school." "Ours" is a possessive pronoun that stands alone without a noun: "the car is ours," "that idea was ours." You cannot say "ours car" or "that is our" as a complete sentence. "Ours" is especially common in comparisons: "Their flat is bigger than ours" avoids repeating "our flat." It also appears after prepositions: "a friend of ours," "a neighbour of ours." Choosing between "our" and "ours" always comes down to whether a noun follows — if it does, use "our."

Question 2

What is the difference between their and theirs?

Accepted Answer

"Their" is a possessive adjective that needs a noun after it: "their house," "their children," "their idea." "Theirs" is a possessive pronoun that replaces the noun entirely: "the house is theirs," "those children are theirs." A common way to test this is to check whether removing the noun still leaves a complete sentence. "That is their" is incomplete, but "That is theirs" is correct. Be careful not to confuse "their" with "they're" (they are) or "there" (a place) — these three words sound the same but have very different meanings and spellings.

Question 3

Do possessive adjectives and pronouns change for singular and plural?

Accepted Answer

No, English possessive adjectives and pronouns do not change form based on whether the noun they refer to is singular or plural. "My book" and "my books" both use "my." "The book is mine" and "the books are mine" both use "mine." This is much simpler than languages like French or Spanish where possessives must agree with the noun in number and gender. The only change in English is between the adjective and pronoun forms themselves: my/mine, your/yours, our/ours, their/theirs. Once you know which form to use, it stays the same regardless of how many things are being described.

Possessive Adjectives vs Pronouns — Intermediate

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