General English A2 · Lesson 1B

Grammar Bank

The rules behind this lesson — form, use, model sentences and the mistakes to avoid.

← Back to the lesson

Grammar focus of this lesson

Pronouns, possessives & a first look at 'who / that'

3 structures

Subject pronouns
Words that replace the person or thing doing the action.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›I · you · he · she · it · we · they.
- ›English always needs a subject: It's cold today (not “Is cold today”).
- ›Use it for things, weather, time and animals.
Examples
- “My brother is a doctor. He works in Lisbon.”
- “Maria and I are colleagues. We work together.”
- “It's Monday and it's raining.”
Watch out · Never drop the subject, even when it's obvious.
Your own example
Possessive adjectives (my / your / his / her…)
They say who something belongs to and come before the noun.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›I → my · you → your · he → his · she → her · it → its · we → our · they → their.
- ›They never change with plural nouns: my brother / my brothers.
- ›Use his/her according to the owner, not the object.
Examples
- “This is my laptop and that's her phone.”
- “Their children go to my school.”
- “Our team is small but our clients are big.”
Watch out · its = possessive · it's = it is. Never write “it's colour”.
Your own example
Defining relative clauses
Extra words that tell you which person or thing we mean.
I've got this
Rules & form
- ›who / that (people) · which / that (things) · whose (possession) · where (places).
- ›No commas — the information is essential.
- ›You can omit the pronoun when it's the object: the report (that) I sent.
- ›Don't repeat the object: the report that I sent it ✗.
Examples
- “The people we choose shape our lives.”
- “That's the supplier that missed the deadline.”
- “This is the office where I started.”
Watch out · Never use what for that: the thing what happened ✗.
Your own example

Grammar Bank

Subject pronouns

Possessive adjectives (my / your / his / her…)

Defining relative clauses