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Possessive Determiners – Gender Mistakes

What Are Possessive Determiners?

Possessive determiners show who owns something. They must match the subject's gender and number.

Examples

• Lisa loves her dad.
• Ben lost his phone.
• The cat licked its paw.
• Sarah and Tom brought their lunch.

Common Gender Mistakes

• ✘ Lisa is happy. Homer is his dad.
  ✔ Lisa is happy. Homer is her dad.
• ✘ Amanda forgot his notebook.
  ✔ Amanda forgot her notebook.
• ✘ John took her bag to school.
  ✔ John took his bag to school.
• ✘ Carla is brushing his teeth.
  ✔ Carla is brushing her teeth.

Helpful Tip

Ask yourself: Who owns it? Is the owner male, female, or an object/animal? Choose his, her, or its to match.