Course on Possessive and Demonstrative - TOEIC® Preparation

For the TOEIC®, it is essential to master the notions of possessive and demonstrative. These notions help clarify to whom (or to what) an object belongs, and to show precisely what or whom one is talking about.

This course complements the courses on adjectives and adverbs that you can find here:

• Course on adjectives for the TOEIC®
• Course on adverbs for the TOEIC®

1. Possessive in English

A. Possessive Adjectives

Possessive adjectives are always used before a noun to indicate to whom or to what the noun belongs.

When using a possessive adjective, pay attention to the difference between his (his) and her (her).

• My book is on the table.
• Your car is red.
• His phone is new.
• Her jacket is warm.
• Its tail is wagging.
• Our teacher is very kind.
• Their house is big.

Expressing Strong Possession with own and by …self

The adjective own is used to emphasize that a person owns something exclusively. It is used with a possessive adjective (my, your, his, her, our, their) to reinforce possession.

• I have my own room. → Emphasizes that the room is indeed mine and not shared.
• She runs her own business. → She is the sole owner of her business.
• We want to buy our own house.

The expression on one's own means alone, without help and is equivalent to by oneself.

• He did his homework on his own.
• She traveled on her own.
• I live on my own.

You can also use by myself / by yourself / by himself..., which has the same meaning:

• I fixed my bike by myself.
• They built the house by themselves.

B. Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns are used to replace a noun when the noun has already been mentioned. They are used to avoid repeating the same word. A possessive pronoun is never followed by a noun.

• ❌ This pen is my pen.
  ✅ This pen is mine.
• ❌ Is that bag your bag?
  ✅ Is that bag yours?
• ❌ That phone is his phone.
  ✅ That phone is his.
• ❌ The red coat is her coat.
  ✅ The red coat is hers.
• ❌ This is our apartment, and that is their apartment.
  ✅ This is our apartment, and that one is theirs.

Special Case of Indefinite Pronouns

When using an indefinite pronoun like someone, everyone, nobody, you cannot place a possessive pronoun like mine, yours, his... directly after. Instead, use "their" to indicate possession.

• Use "their" (singular) after an indefinite pronoun to avoid specifying if the person is a man or a woman.
  • Someone forgot their keys.
  • Everybody should do their best.
• You cannot use a possessive pronoun after an indefinite pronoun: Unlike normal sentences, you cannot say « Someone took my book. I think the book is mine. » Instead, use « theirs »:
  • ❌ Somebody took my book. I think the book is mine.
    ✅ Somebody took my book. I think it's theirs.

Possessive Pronoun Associated with "it"

For "it", its is rarely used as a possessive pronoun, as it is preferable to rephrase the sentence.

• ❌ The house is old. The doors are its.
  ✅ The house is old. Its doors are broken.

C. The Genitive

The Saxon genitive (usually noted as « 's ») is used to express possession. It is mainly used with people, animals, or anything considered as living (called the possessors).

How to Form the Genitive?

• Add « 's » to the singular possessor.
  • John's book.
  • The cat's bowl.
  • My brother's car.
• Add « ' » only (without s) at the end of a regular plural possessor (i.e., a plural ending in -s).
  • The students' classroom.

Here are some exceptions:

• If there are 2 possessors, add « 's » only to the last possessor
  • John and Mary's car.
• If the possessor is a proper noun ending in « s » (Lucas, Alexis, …), you can use either « ' » or « 's »
  • Alexis' car = Alexis's car

For more information, you can read our course on the plural

When to Use the Genitive?

• With people: Use « 's » to talk about what belongs to a person. This is the most common form.
  • Emma's dress
  • Tom's idea
  • My friend's house
  • My parents' car
• With animals:
  • Animals being considered living, the genitive is generally used:
    • The dog's tail.
    • The bird's nest.
  • For animals considered less "close" (e.g., insects, wild animals), you can also use "of":
    • The legs of the spider. But "The spider's legs" is also acceptable.
• With groups of people: The genitive can be used with institutions, companies, or groups of people:
  • The government's decision.
  • The company's success.
  • The team's coach.
• With geographical locations and stores: « 's » is often used to talk about places, especially shops and establishments.
  • The city's mayor.
  • London's weather.
  • The baker's shop.
  • I'm going to the dentist's.
• With time and periods: The genitive is very common for expressing duration and time.
  • Yesterday's news.
  • A week's holiday.
  • Three years' experience.
• With certain fixed expressions: Some uses of the genitive have become common expressions:
  • At arm's length.
  • For heaven's sake!
  • A stone's throw from here.

And for the Rest? (what is not considered living)

For inanimate objects, it is generally preferable to use "of" instead of the genitive.

• The door of the house
• The title of the book.
• The color of the car.

However, the genitive is possible for some objects if they are related to a person or personified:

• The car's engine.
• The ship's captain.
• The country's economy.

2. Demonstrative in English

A. Demonstrative Adjectives

Demonstrative adjectives always precede a noun and indicate whether the object (or person) is near or far (in distance).

There are four forms:

• This book is interesting.
• These shoes are mine.
• That house on the hill is beautiful.
• Those cars over there are expensive.

B. Demonstrative Pronouns

When this, these, that, those are used alone (without a noun following), they are demonstrative pronouns. They take the place of the noun to designate an object or a person.

• This (singular): "This is my seat."
• These (plural): "These are my friends."
• That (singular): "That is my car over there."
• Those (plural): "Those are her children."

• What is this?
• I don't like that.
• These are the best cookies I've ever had.
• Those are too far away.

The contracted form That's (That is) and What's this? (What is this?) can also be used orally.

C. Other Uses of Demonstratives

Demonstratives this, that, these, those are not only used to designate objects or people based on their distance. They can also be used in other contexts, notably to talk about time, introduce an idea, emphasize an element, or give an opinion.

Talking About Time (Present, Past, Future)

Demonstratives can be used to situate events in time.

• This and these refer to the present or a near future.
• That and those refer to the past or a more distant future.

• I'm really enjoying this summer. → The current summer.
• Those were the good old days. → Referring to a bygone era.
• That day changed my life. → Referring to a specific moment in the past.

Nuancing an Adjective or Adverb

This and that can be used to emphasize or attenuate an adjective or an adverb.

• This → Emphasizes something strong.
  • I didn't expect the exam to be this difficult!
  • Why are you talking this loudly?
• That → Used to moderate or question something.
  • The movie wasn't that interesting.
  • She doesn't look that tired.

Introducing an Idea or Topic of Conversation

This and these are often used to talk about an idea that will be presented, and that and those to refer to an idea already mentioned or well-known.

• This is what I wanted to tell you. → Introducing information.
• That's exactly what I meant! → Confirming an already mentioned idea.
• These are my thoughts on the topic.
• Those who work hard succeed.

Reinforcing much and many

Demonstratives can also be used to emphasize a large quantity or to compare a quantity to another with much (uncountable) and many (countable).

• I didn't expect this much work.
• I've never seen that many people at the beach.

Difference between this much and that much

This much is used to talk about a large or current quantity:

• I didn't expect this much work. → The speaker is talking about the amount of work they have in front of them, which is more than expected.

That much is used to relativize or minimize a quantity:

• I don't like coffee that much. → "That much" is used here to relativize: the person likes coffee a little, but not a lot.

If you are talking about something that is in front of you or an immediate situation, use this much / this many. If you are making a comparison with another situation or want to attenuate an intensity, use that much / that many.

For more information on much and many, you can read our course on indefinite pronouns

Conclusion

In English, the possessive allows us to show ownership (using possessive adjectives and pronouns, as well as the Saxon genitive), while the demonstrative allows us to indicate precisely what or whom we are talking about (based on proximity and number).

The most important thing is to understand the difference in usage:

• Possessive: Who owns it? (my, your, his, her, our, their, mine, etc.)
• Demonstrative: What or whom are we talking about, and at what distance? (this, these, that, those)

Other Courses for the TOEIC®

Here are our other courses to best prepare you for the TOEIC®:

• 🔗 Overview of pronouns for the TOEIC®
• 🔗 Complete course to prepare for the TOEIC®