One small word shows who owns or is connected to a person or thing: my phone, your manager, her office, their client. Each subject pronoun has a partner, such as I → my, she → her, and they → their. It always sits before the noun.
≈ 40–45 minownership + connectionbefore the nounpronoun → possessive
NoticeSpot the ownership word.
DiscoverPair each pronoun with its possessive.
BuildMatch, choose, and build chunks.
UseDescribe people, jobs, and things.
A possessive adjective never changes for one thing or many: my book / my books, her client / her clients. The person, group, or thing connected to the noun decides the word, not the noun after it.
Notice before the rule
Whose side is it connected to?
I have a phone. → This is my phone. She has an office. → This is her office. They have a car. → This is their car.
One word changed in each pair: I → my, she → her, they → their. What connection does the new word show?
Where does it sit: before the noun, or after it?
Does the word for "phone, office, car" change? What stays the same?
Discovery check: read who owns it, then choose
The hint in brackets tells you the owner
1This is phone. (it belongs to me)
2That is office. (Elena uses she)
3This is desk. (Daniel uses he)
4A new client left a message. I do not know the client’s gender. This is message.
5You have a coffee. This is coffee.
6The company has a new logo. This is logo.
The system: one partner for each pronoun
Every subject pronoun has one possessive partner. Learn them as pairs:
subject pronoun
possessive adjective
example
I
my
my phone
you
your
your email
he
his
his client
she
her
her office
it
its
its name
we
our
our team
they
their
their car · their name (many people or one person)
Meaning check
Does the possessive go before or after the noun? Before:my manager, never manager my.
Is it his or her? Look at the person connected to the noun, not the noun itself. Daniel uses he, so say his office. Elena uses she, so say her car.
Does the word change for one or many? No.my book and my books both use my.
Their can connect one person or many people to a noun: My parents sold their car.Someone left their phone.
Possessive word or contraction?
The possessive word sits before a noun. The contraction contains the verb are or is.
before a noun
subject + verb
your phone
you’re early = you are early
its name
it’s new = it is new
their office
they’re upstairs = they are upstairs
In ordinary speech, each pair can sound the same. Use the sentence job to choose the written form: noun next means your, its, their.
Same sound, different sentence job
Look away from the script. Your tutor reads each pair. Say “possessive” when a noun follows and “subject plus verb” when the phrase contains are or is.
From pronoun to possessive
Keep the pairs together. Say each one aloud: I → my, you → your, he → his, she → her, it → its, we → our, they → their.
Sound natural: keep the owner word with its noun
A possessive adjective and its noun make one chunk. In a neutral sentence, the noun usually carries the strongest beat.
chunk
natural rhythm
my phone
my PHONE
her office
her OFFice
our team
our TEAM
their car
their CAR
Do not pause between the two words. Make the owner word strong only when you correct ownership: It’s MY phone, not your phone. In ordinary American speech, your and their are usually quick one-syllable words.
Drill 1: match each pronoun to its possessive
Tap a possessive word, then tap the pronoun it belongs to
Drill 2: his or her? Look at the owner
The name in brackets tells you who owns it
1Daniel is reading email. (Daniel uses he)
2Elena is in office. (Elena uses she)
3Mr. Lopez is with client. (Mr. Lopez uses he)
4My manager Sofia is on phone. (Sofia uses she)
5The new coworker Marco lost keys. (Marco uses he)
Build the sentence
Drill 3: build the sentence
The laptop belongs to Elena. Build the sentence, then say it.
Drill 4: build the sentence
The office belongs to the sales team. Build the sentence.
Notice and repair errors
Drill 5: pronoun or possessive?
Tap the word that is wrong. The phone belongs to Daniel.
Drill 6: pronoun or possessive?
You are speaking about the car that belongs to you and your family. Tap the wrong word.
Drill 7: its or it’s?
Tap the word that is wrong.
Drill 8: change the pronoun, then say it
Say the possessive aloud first. Reveal only after you answer.
1 he → ___ client
his client
2 they → ___ office
their office
3 she → ___ manager
her manager
4 we → ___ team
our team
5 I → ___ coworkers
my coworkers
Play and practice
Games and a short reading that recycle this lesson. Use them as a warm-up, a fast finisher, or homework. Each one checks itself.
Read
Welcome to the team
Read once for meaning. Then read again and do the tasks below.
Email to a new coworker70 wordsAbout 1 min
Hi Marco,
Welcome to our team! My name is Elena. I’m the office manager. Our office is on the third floor.
Daniel is in sales. His desk is next to the window. Priya and Sam are designers. Their room is next to the kitchen.
Your desk is near the door, and your laptop is on it. The printer is old, but its screen is new. See you on Monday!
Elena
Find it
Tap the 8 possessive adjectives, words like my and your.
Check your understanding
1. Where is the office?
2. Who has a desk next to the window?
3. What is new?
Match up
Who owns the car?
Tap an item on the left, then its partner on the right.
Owner
Possessive
Sort it
Correct or repair?
Tap a chunk, then tap Correct chunk or Needs repair. Press Check when the tray is empty.
Unscramble
Build owner sentences
Tap the words in order to build the sentence. Tap a placed word to send it back.
1. Daniel uses he.
2. Elena uses she.
3. The office belongs to the sales team.
4. Talk about your group at work.
5. Ask a new coworker a question.
Use it in real life
Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my. This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
Your team: Tell me about three coworkers. Use his, her, or their for their jobs, relationships, and things. Daniel is on a call with his client. Elena is in her office. Alex uses they and is with their manager.
Your family: Describe two family members and what they own. My sister is a nurse. Her car is small. My parents have a dog. Their dog is friendly.
Our place: Describe your workplace or home with our. This is our office. Our team is small. Our meeting room is upstairs.
Whose is it? (info gap): Your teacher names a person and an object. Answer with the possessive: Daniel, keys. → These are his keys. Continue with new people and things.
Success check
Use at least four different possessive words before nouns.
Choose from the person, group, or thing connected to the noun.
Use their for one person when gender is not known or relevant.
Keep its separate from it’s = it is.
Reflect
Say the pairs
Complete this aloud: “I → ___, you → ___, he → ___, she → ___, we → ___, they → ___.”
Then say one true sentence about something you own and one about something a coworker or family member owns, using his, her, or their.
Final quiz: choose the owner word
1. (it belongs to me) This is ___ phone.
2. (Elena = she) She is in ___ office.
3. (Daniel = he) Daniel is reading ___ email.
4. (the sales team = they) This is ___ meeting room.
5. You are speaking as a member of the team. ___ team is small.
6. Which sentence is correct? (the office belongs to Marco, who uses he)
7. I have more than one book. Which is correct?
8. (I am talking to you) Is this ___ coffee?
9. A delivery driver called, but you do not know the driver’s gender. This is ___ message.
10. The company changed ___ name after the merger.
Come back tomorrow. Read the relationship first, then choose the word before the noun.
Choose from memory
Tap each gap, then choose the possessive word
1I am speaking directly to you: “What is name?”
2The app has a new icon. This is new icon.
3A caller left a number, but I do not know the caller’s gender. This is number.
Repair from memory
We office is small.
Say it without notes
Say the complete chunk before you reveal it.
1 I → ___ password
my password
2 she → ___ manager
her manager
Thirty-second response: describe one thing connected to you, one thing connected to another person, and one thing connected to your group. Use three different possessive words.
Choose the right amount of challenge
Communicate in three steps
Learner production. Pick one starting point, then move up only if the learner is ready. True or invented details are equally acceptable.
1
Personal answer
Make the language yours
Use the lesson’s earlier example or invent a similar situation. The details do not need to be personal.
Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my . This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
Next cues
Your team: Tell me about three coworkers. Use his , her , or their for their jobs, relationships, and things. Daniel is on a call with his client. Elena is in her office. Alex uses they and is with their manager.
Your family: Describe two family members and what they own. My sister is a nurse. Her car is small. My parents have a dog. Their dog is friendly.
2
Guided role play
Learner production
Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my . This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
Role 1Learner: use Possessive adjectives (my, your, his…) to complete the situation in your own words.
Role 2Tutor: respond naturally, ask one follow-up question, and introduce one small change.
Useful language
Your team: Tell me about three coworkers. Use his , her , or their for their jobs, relationships, and things. Daniel is on a call with his client. Elena is in her office. Alex uses they and is with their manager.
Your family: Describe two family members and what they own. My sister is a nurse. Her car is small. My parents have a dog. Their dog is friendly.
Our place: Describe your workplace or home with our . This is our office. Our team is small. Our meeting room is upstairs.
Whose is it? (info gap): Your teacher names a person and an object. Answer with the possessive: Daniel, keys. → These are his keys. Continue with new people and things.
3
Real-world challenge
Remove the support
Your desk: Name four things at your desk with my . This is my phone. These are my notes. That is my coffee.
A0 target: Give three complete, connected responses without reading a model.