Chapter: Possessives
đ Vocabulary
English Grammar and Composition Class Six
â Most Important Exam Words
possessivepossessive adjectivepossessive pronounmyyourhisheritsourtheirmineyourshersourstheirsfather'sstudents'children'sbelongingsownershiprelationshipapostrophebelong torewrite
đ Word Formation Rules
âē Use my, your, his, her, its, our and their before a noun to form possessive adjective phrases.
âē Use mine, yours, his, hers, ours and theirs without a noun to form possessive pronoun phrases.
âē Add apostrophe and s to a singular noun: father becomes father's.
âē Add only an apostrophe to a regular plural noun ending in s: students becomes students'.
âē Add apostrophe and s to an irregular plural noun not ending in s: children becomes children's.
âē Use of plus noun to express possession when necessary: the name of the farm.
âē Possess is the verb, possession is the noun, possessive is the adjective, and possessively is the adverb.
âē A possessive adjective plus noun can often be changed into a possessive noun phrase: the shirt of your colleague becomes your colleague's shirt.
1. Possessive Adjectives (8 words)
my[/maÉĒ/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: This is my book.
Syn: belonging to meAnt: not mine
đĄ Exam tip: My is used before a singular or plural noun.
your[/jÉËr/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: Where is your pen?
Syn: belonging to youAnt: not yours
đĄ Exam tip: Your is used before a noun; do not confuse it with you are.
his[/hÉĒz/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°, āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻˇā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻā§āĻ˛ā§āĻ° āĻŦāĻž āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻˇā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: His father is a teacher.
Syn: belonging to himAnt: not his
đĄ Exam tip: His is used before a noun for a male person.
her[/hÉËr/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°, āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻŽā§ā§ā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: Her sister lives in Dhaka.
Syn: belonging to herAnt: not hers
đĄ Exam tip: Her before a noun is a possessive adjective.
its[/ÉĒts/]adjmedium
Meaning: āĻāĻāĻŋāĻ° āĻŦāĻž āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŖā§ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: The bird spread its wings.
Syn: belonging to itAnt: not its
đĄ Exam tip: Its shows possession; it is has an apostrophe and means it is.
our[/aĘÉr/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻā§āĻ¤āĻž āĻ āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: Our school is near the river.
Syn: belonging to usAnt: not ours
đĄ Exam tip: Our is placed directly before a noun.
their[/ðeÉr/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻā§ā§āĻāĻāĻ¨ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻŋāĻ¤
Example: Their house is very large.
Syn: belonging to themAnt: not theirs
đĄ Exam tip: Their shows possession; they are is different.
possessive[/pÉËzesÉĒv/]adjmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ§āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ°āĻ¸ā§āĻāĻ
Alt: āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻāĻžāĻļ āĻāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻŽāĻ¨
Example: My is a possessive adjective.
Syn: proprietaryAnt: dispossessive
đĄ Exam tip: Possessive adjectives come before nouns.
2. Possessive Pronouns (8 words)
mine[/maÉĒn/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻ°
Example: This red bag is mine.
Syn: my ownAnt: not mine
đĄ Exam tip: Mine is not followed by a noun.
yours[/jÉËrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻ°āĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻ¤ā§āĻŽāĻžāĻ° āĻŦāĻž āĻāĻĒāĻ¨āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Example: Is this umbrella yours?
Syn: your ownAnt: not yours
đĄ Exam tip: Use yours at the end of a sentence or without a noun after it.
his[/hÉĒz/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻāĻŋ, āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻˇā§āĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻĒā§āĻ°ā§āĻˇā§āĻ°
Example: That bicycle is his.
Syn: his ownAnt: not his
đĄ Exam tip: His can be both a possessive adjective and a possessive pronoun.
hers[/hÉËrz/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻ°āĻāĻŋ, āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻ¨āĻžāĻ°ā§āĻ°
Example: The blue dress is hers.
Syn: her ownAnt: not hers
đĄ Exam tip: Hers is never written as her's.
ours[/aĘÉrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻāĻŽāĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Example: The small garden is ours.
Syn: our ownAnt: not ours
đĄ Exam tip: Ours is used without a following noun.
theirs[/ðeÉrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ¤āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°āĻāĻŋ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻŋ āĻ¤āĻžāĻĻā§āĻ°
Example: The seats near the window are theirs.
Syn: their ownAnt: not theirs
đĄ Exam tip: Theirs is not followed by a noun and has no apostrophe.
belong[/bÉĒËlÉÅ/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¤āĻ°ā§āĻā§āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻšāĻā§āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ§ā§āĻ¨ āĻšāĻā§āĻž
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻ āĻāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ¸ āĻšāĻā§āĻž
Example: This book belongs to me.
Syn: be owned byAnt: be separate from
đĄ Exam tip: Belong to is commonly used to show possession.
ownership[/ËÉĘnÉrĘÉĒp/]nounhard
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻāĻĒāĻ° āĻ
āĻ§āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ°
Example: The document proves ownership of the land.
Syn: possessionAnt: dispossession
đĄ Exam tip: Ownership is a noun formed from own.
3. Apostrophe and Noun Possession (8 words)
father's[/ËfÉËðÉrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŦāĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻŦāĻžāĻŦāĻžāĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ āĻŦā§āĻāĻžā§
Example: My father's name is Alimuzzaman.
Syn: of the fatherAnt: not the father's
đĄ Exam tip: Add apostrophe and s to a singular noun.
mother's[/ËmĘðÉrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžā§ā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻŽāĻžā§ā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ āĻŦā§āĻāĻžā§
Example: My mother's favourite food is rice.
Syn: of the motherAnt: not the mother's
đĄ Exam tip: Mother's means of the mother or belonging to the mother.
student's[/ËstjuËdÉnts/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻļāĻŋāĻā§āĻˇāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻāĻāĻ¨ āĻļāĻŋāĻā§āĻˇāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Example: The student's notebook is clean.
Syn: of the studentAnt: not the student's
đĄ Exam tip: Use student's for one student.
students'[/ËstjuËdÉnts/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻļāĻŋāĻā§āĻˇāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨā§āĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻāĻžāĻ§āĻŋāĻ āĻļāĻŋāĻā§āĻˇāĻžāĻ°ā§āĻĨā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Example: The students' books are on the table.
Syn: of the studentsAnt: not the students'
đĄ Exam tip: For a plural noun ending in s, add only an apostrophe.
neighbour's[/ËneÉĒbÉrz/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻļā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻāĻāĻ¨ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻļā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Example: My neighbour's garden is beautiful.
Syn: of the neighbourAnt: not the neighbour's
đĄ Exam tip: A singular noun takes apostrophe plus s.
neighbours'[/ËneÉĒbÉrz/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻļā§āĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻāĻžāĻ§āĻŋāĻ āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻļā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Example: Our neighbours' families helped us.
Syn: of the neighboursAnt: not the neighbours'
đĄ Exam tip: Neighbours' refers to more than one neighbour.
children's[/ËtĘÉĒldrÉnz/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻļāĻŋāĻļā§āĻĻā§āĻ°
Alt: children-āĻāĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦā§āĻāĻžā§
Example: The children's playground is clean.
Syn: of the childrenAnt: not the children's
đĄ Exam tip: Children is an irregular plural, so use children's.
James's[/ËdĘeÉĒmzÉĒz/]nounhard
Meaning: āĻā§āĻŽāĻ¸ā§āĻ°
Alt: James āĻ¨āĻžāĻŽā§āĻ° āĻāĻāĻāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Example: James's bicycle is new.
Syn: of JamesAnt: not James's
đĄ Exam tip: A singular proper noun usually takes apostrophe and s.
4. Possession, Relationship and Connection (8 words)
belongings[/bÉĒËlÉÅÉĒÅz/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋāĻāĻ¤ āĻāĻŋāĻ¨āĻŋāĻ¸āĻĒāĻ¤ā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻ°āĻ āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻžāĻ§ā§āĻ¨ āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻš
Example: Keep your belongings in the bag.
Syn: possessionsAnt: property of others
đĄ Exam tip: Belongings is usually used in the plural form.
relationship[/rÉĒËleÉĒĘÉnĘÉĒp/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ
Alt: āĻĻā§āĻ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻāĻ¯ā§āĻ
Example: The possessive form can show a family relationship.
Syn: connectionAnt: separation
đĄ Exam tip: Possessives can show relationships, not only ownership.
family[/ËfÃĻmÉli/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°
Alt: āĻāĻāĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§ āĻŦāĻ¸āĻŦāĻžāĻ¸āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻŽā§ā§āĻĻā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻŽāĻˇā§āĻāĻŋ
Example: My family lives in a village.
Syn: householdAnt: stranger
đĄ Exam tip: Family names often appear with possessives such as my family.
relative[/ËrelÉtÉĒv/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻ¤ā§āĻŽā§ā§
Alt: āĻĒāĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻžāĻ°āĻŋāĻ āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻāĻ¯ā§āĻā§āĻ¤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ
Example: Her relatives live in Satkhira.
Syn: family memberAnt: stranger
đĄ Exam tip: Use his, her, our or their before relative to show connection.
neighbour[/ËneÉĒbÉr/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻ¤āĻŋāĻŦā§āĻļā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻāĻžāĻāĻžāĻāĻŋ āĻŦāĻ¸āĻŦāĻžāĻ¸āĻāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ
Example: Our neighbour has a small shop.
Syn: next-door residentAnt: distant resident
đĄ Exam tip: The possessive forms are neighbour's and neighbours'.
partner[/ËpÉËrtnÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻā§āĻā§
Alt: āĻāĻžāĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻā§āĻŦāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻ¸āĻšāĻ¯ā§āĻā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ
Example: What is the address of her partner?
Syn: companionAnt: opponent
đĄ Exam tip: Rewrite of her partner as her partner's.
body[/ËbÉdi/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻļāĻ°ā§āĻ°
Alt: āĻŽāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻˇ āĻŦāĻž āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻžāĻŖā§āĻ° āĻĻā§āĻš
Example: Rimu has broken her leg.
Syn: physiqueAnt: mind
đĄ Exam tip: Use possessives with body parts: my hand, his leg, her eye.
connection[/kÉËnekĘÉn/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻāĻ¯ā§āĻ
Alt: āĻ¸āĻŽā§āĻĒāĻ°ā§āĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¯ā§āĻāĻ¸ā§āĻ¤ā§āĻ°
Example: Our school has a connection with the local library.
Syn: linkAnt: disconnection
đĄ Exam tip: Possessives may express things connected with us.
5. Exam Instruction and Sentence Practice (8 words)
adjective[/ËÃĻdĘÉĒktÉĒv/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻŦāĻŋāĻļā§āĻˇāĻŖ
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻļā§āĻˇā§āĻ¯āĻā§ āĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻŖāĻ¨āĻž āĻŦāĻž āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻˇā§āĻ āĻāĻ°ā§ āĻāĻŽāĻ¨ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ
Example: My is a possessive adjective in my book.
Syn: describing wordAnt: noun
đĄ Exam tip: A possessive adjective must be followed by a noun.
pronoun[/ËprÉĘnaĘn/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻ¸āĻ°ā§āĻŦāĻ¨āĻžāĻŽ
Alt: āĻŦāĻŋāĻļā§āĻˇā§āĻ¯ā§āĻ° āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻŦāĻšā§āĻ¤ āĻļāĻŦā§āĻĻ
Example: Mine is a possessive pronoun.
Syn: substitute wordAnt: proper noun
đĄ Exam tip: Possessive pronouns stand alone and replace possessive adjective plus noun.
rewrite[/ËriËËraÉĒt/]verbmedium
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ¨āĻ°āĻžā§ āĻ˛ā§āĻāĻž
Alt: āĻ¨āĻŋāĻ°ā§āĻĻā§āĻļ āĻ
āĻ¨ā§āĻ¯āĻžā§ā§ āĻŦāĻžāĻā§āĻ¯ āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŦāĻ°ā§āĻ¤āĻ¨ āĻāĻ°ā§ āĻ˛ā§āĻāĻž
Example: Rewrite the sentence using a possessive.
Syn: rephraseAnt: copy
đĄ Exam tip: Change of the shirt of your colleague to your colleague's shirt.
possess[/pÉËzes/]verbhard
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻ āĻšāĻā§āĻž
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§ āĻ¨āĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻ
āĻ§āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻ°āĻžāĻāĻž
Example: The farmer possesses a large field.
Syn: ownAnt: lack
đĄ Exam tip: Possess is the verb related to possession and possessive.
owner[/ËÉĘnÉr/]nounmedium
Meaning: āĻŽāĻžāĻ˛āĻŋāĻ
Alt: āĻ¯ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻāĻŋāĻā§āĻ° āĻ
āĻ§āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ°ā§
Example: The owner of the farm is kind.
Syn: proprietorAnt: tenant
đĄ Exam tip: Owner means a person who possesses something.
favourite[/ËfeÉĒvÉrÉĒt/]adjeasy
Meaning: āĻĒā§āĻ°āĻŋā§
Alt: āĻ¸āĻŦāĻā§ā§ā§ āĻŦā§āĻļāĻŋ āĻĒāĻāĻ¨ā§āĻĻā§āĻ°
Example: What is your mother's favourite food?
Syn: preferredAnt: disliked
đĄ Exam tip: Rewrite of the favourite food of my mother is my mother's favourite food.
address[/ÉËdres/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻ āĻŋāĻāĻžāĻ¨āĻž
Alt: āĻā§āĻ¨ā§ āĻŦā§āĻ¯āĻā§āĻ¤āĻŋ āĻŦāĻž āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻ¨ā§āĻ° āĻ
āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻžāĻ¨
Example: What is her partner's address?
Syn: locationAnt: unknown place
đĄ Exam tip: Use the possessive before address: his address, her address, or the teacher's address.
height[/haÉĒt/]nouneasy
Meaning: āĻāĻā§āĻāĻ¤āĻž
Alt: āĻāĻ¤āĻāĻž āĻ˛āĻŽā§āĻŦāĻž āĻ¤āĻžāĻ° āĻĒāĻ°āĻŋāĻŽāĻžāĻĒ
Example: What is his brother's height?
Syn: tallnessAnt: shortness
đĄ Exam tip: Use brother's instead of of his brother in a possessive rewrite.
đĄ Exam Tips
âĸ Remember that possessive adjectives are followed by nouns, but possessive pronouns are not.
âĸ Do not write an apostrophe in mine, yours, hers, ours or theirs.
âĸ His is used both as a possessive adjective and as a possessive pronoun.
âĸ Do not confuse its with it's; its shows possession, while it's means it is or it has.
âĸ For one person use apostrophe and s: sister's book.
âĸ For a plural noun ending in s use only an apostrophe: neighbours' families.
âĸ For irregular plural nouns such as children, use apostrophe and s: children's toys.
âĸ In rewriting questions, change the of phrase into a possessive noun phrase: the colour of the shirt becomes the shirt's colour.
âĸ Use possessives to show belongings, relationships, body parts and things connected with people.
âĸ Check whether the owner is singular or plural before placing the apostrophe.