Possessive pronouns nd their two forms and syntactic functions in the sentence Context Introduction

Possessive Pronouns as Adjectives

There are multiple ways to codify English pronouns. Pertinent to the discussion here, there is another way to look at the dependent genitive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, their).

In this alternate way of categorization, you can describe these determiners as possessive adjectives because they modify a noun.

“Her cup.”
In this construction, “her” functions in some sense like an adjective. After all, an adjective gives some kind of information about a noun, and “her” does that. It also abides by many of the grammatical and syntactical rules of an adjective.
However, a determiner like “her” does not always abide by the grammatical and syntactical rules of an adjective. For instance, in a list of adjectives describing a noun, you would construct the sentence in this way:
The tall, red, wooden cup is my favorite.
You could not, however, insert “her” into this list.
The tall, her, wooden cup is my favorite.
So while there is merit in describing determiners as adjectives or “my” as a “possessive adjective,” beware of taking this simplistic definition and running with it. Pronouns exist in an ambiguous and oft-discussed space of English grammar, so take the time to understand any codification of their bits and bobs.

ossessive Pronouns - Key Takeaways

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  A possessive pronoun indicates that someone or something has or owns something else.
  
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  In terms of English grammar, possessive pronouns are one case of pronouns. Specifically, they are of the genitive case.
  
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  The genitive case shows possession.
  
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  There are two kinds of genitives for pronouns: independent (that is mine) and dependent (that is my plate).
  
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  Alternatively, you can classify some possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, their) as possessive adjectives, although beware treating "possessive adjectives" as ordinary adjectives.