Each person has a word that shows what they own: I → my, you → your, he → his, she → her.
my, your, his, her
This is my book.
Is this your bag?
That is his car.
Amina lost her phone.
Not "This is she bag." — say "This is her bag.". Before a thing, use her to show she owns it, not she.
Try it: Amina can't find ___ phone. (her / she / hers) Answer: her — To show the phone belongs to Amina (she), use her before the thing: her phone (not "she").
our, their, its
Groups and things have them too: we → our, they → their, it → its.
This is our house.
That is their dog.
The cat licks its paw.
Not "This is we house." — say "This is our house.". Before a thing, we becomes our.
Try it: Mei and Wei painted ___ room together. (their / they / theirs) Answer: their — Mei and Wei = they, and before the thing it becomes their: their room (not "they").
Always before the thing
The owner word comes first, then the thing it owns.
my book ✓
her phone ✓
their house ✓
Not "book my" — say "my book". The owner word goes before the thing, not after.
Try it: Liam is writing in ___. (his notebook / notebook his / notebook) Answer: his notebook — The owner word comes first, then the thing: his notebook (not "notebook his").
its (not it's)
its = it owns something. it's = it is. For owning, use its with no apostrophe.
The dog wagged its tail.
The city has its own park.
The plan has its good points.
Not "The dog wagged it's tail." — say "The dog wagged its tail.". it's means 'it is', for owning, use its with no apostrophe.
Try it: The cat hurt ___ paw. (its / it's) Answer: its — The paw belongs to the cat, so use its (no apostrophe). "It's" means "it is", which does not fit here.
your / you're
Same idea again with you. your = you own it. you're = you are. For owning, use your with no apostrophe.
Your bag is here.
You're late.
Your keys are on the desk.
Not "You're bag is here." — say "Your bag is here.". you're means you are, so "You're bag" says "You are bag". The owner word is your.
Try it: ___ keys are on the desk. (Your / You're / You) Answer: Your — The keys belong to you, so use Your (no apostrophe). "You're" means you are, and "You keys" has no owner word at all.
Try it: Remember: who owns it? Hiroshi parked ___ bike outside. (his / her / he) Answer: his — Hiroshi = he, so the owner word is his: his bike. (Match the word to the owner.)