Template talk:Modern English personal pronouns (table)

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[edit] Adjective v pronoun

More common than possessive pronouns are possessive adjectives.

• This is my book.
• It is a big book.

The word my is an adjective.

• Give it to me.
• It is mine.

The word mine is a pronoun, it replaces words for whatever it was that belonged to me.

A common test is to check if a word can stand on its own -- pronoun -- or if it is used to qualify a noun -- adjective.

• My car is fast. (adjective)
• *Mine car is fast.
• These are yours.
• *These are your. (pronoun)

Some modern approaches to grammar recategorize words according to arguably more natural systems.

I am not aware of this being the case in this specific instance.

What I can say is the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, ...) are a feature of Modern, rather than Old or Middle English.

The Middle English first-person, singular, possessive pronoun was min(e).

Alastair Haines 19:15, 29 April 2007 (UTC)

According to the CGEL, these are all pronouns, not adjectives.--BrettR 23:45, 11 August 2007 (UTC)