Possessive Pronouns

Chris:	Benedict Arnold!
Jessica:	Excuse me?
Chris:	You know... the biggest traitor the United States has ever known?
Jessica:	Uh, huh… What’s your point exactly?
Chris:	I’ve been wondering about him lately. His motivations to be more exact. How does a general in the American Continental Army, who was, by all accounts, a very brave and honorable man, decide to commit treason?
Jessica:	Well, my knowledge of his role in the Revolutionary War against the British is pretty basic, but I do remember a few key facts: He was a proud man, and believed that his contributions to the cause were not properly recognized. His impulsiveness was legendary. And, most important of all, he was nearly bankrupt and the British paid very handsomely for his services.
Chris:	Including their offer of £20,000 for surrendering West Point, a fortification that was under his command! I mean, don’t you find that incredible?
Jessica:	Pretty dishonorable if you ask me… I guess that’s why he’s such a famous traitor.
Chris:	I think there’s more to the story.
Jessica:	Really? What’s your theory?
Chris:	As the French say, Cherchez la femme – Look for the woman!
Jessica:	Huh?
Chris:	Peggy Shippen Arnold, his second wife. Nobody seems to even consider whether she played any part in her husband’s treasonous plot.
Jessica:	I’ve never even heard of her...
Chris:	That’s exactly my point! I read about her recently, and I must say that the circumstances of their relationship were suspicious.
Jessica:	I’m intrigued! Tell me more.
Chris:	In 1778, at the age of 37, Benedict Arnold meets and falls in love with a gorgeous 18-year-old girl called Peggy Shippen.
Jessica:	I’m sure it’s not just their age difference that was suspect.
Chris:	That was actually pretty normal at the time, but her father was loyal to the British – a known loyalist!
Jessica:	That can’t be good...
Chris:	That’s not all! Before she even met the handsome Benedict, she had social ties to a spy, Major John André, the man who would later become Arnold’s liaison to the British.
Jessica:	So, your theory is that Peggy Shippen conspired with John André to turn Arnold into a British spy? That the marriage was part of the plan? That sounds like a cock and bull story if I ever heard one.
Chris:	Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is that soon after their wedding, Arnold began to give valuable information to André. What’s more, his wife started acting as the intermediary between them.
Jessica:	In your version of the story, Peggy Shippen was a seductress and the idea for treason was hers, not his?
Chris:	Perhaps, it could have been her father or John André who masterminded the whole thing, but there’s no denying that she played an active role.
Jessica:	Whatever the case, it was his name, not hers, which became a synonym for traitor in the US. In 1780, André was caught with damning evidence in his boot and was executed. Arnold, on the other hand, fled to England.
Chris:	Where he was later joined by his wife, and they lived out their lives in exile.
Jessica:	It seems crazy to me that a smart, respected general could have been manipulated so easily by a teenager, no matter how gorgeous she was.
Chris:	That’s why it was the perfect cover, Jessica! Remember the old saying: Cherchez la femme.
Jessica:	Look for the woman!

Possessive Pronouns

Like personal pronouns, possessive pronouns replace a person or group of people. However, unlike personal pronouns, possessive pronouns also show ownership.

I. Possessive Pronouns With Nouns

The following possessive pronouns are used with a noun to show ownership: my, your, our, his, her, its, their.

My car is at the mechanic getting fixed. ‘My’ is followed by the noun ‘car’. Alan and I moved last weekend. Our new apartment is really nice! ‘Our’ is followed by the noun ‘apartment’.

II. Possessive Pronouns Without Nouns

These possessive pronouns are used without a noun: mine, ours, yours, his, hers, its, theirs.

The blue car in the back of the parking lot is mine. ‘Mine’ is not followed by a noun. There are two apartments on the fifth floor. Ours is the last one on the left. ‘Ours’ is not followed by a noun.

III. Possessive Pronouns With Gerunds

A gerund is a verb form that ends in -ing and functions as a noun. Because of this, the preceding possessive noun should be: my, our, your, his, her, its, their.

I love hearing her singing. ✔ Correct I love hearing hers singing. ✘ Not correct I couldn’t take their complaining anymore. ✔ Correct I couldn’t take theirs complaining anymore. ✘ Not correct

Possessive Pronouns

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun for the noun in parenthesis.

Possessive Pronouns

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive pronoun.