Which sentence uses a possessive pronoun to refer to something belonging to multiple people?

Which sentence uses a possessive pronoun to refer to something belonging to multiple people?

• A. The shoes are theirs.
• B. The shoes are their.
• C. The shoes are our.
• D. The shoes are yous.

Answer: (D)

When you want to say who owns something, using the right possessive form is key. Possessive pronouns can stand alone after a linking verb like are, and they replace a noun phrase that tells ownership. Possessive adjectives (their, our, your) modify a noun directly and can’t stand alone after a linking verb. The shoes are theirs uses the possessive pronoun theirs to refer to ownership by a plural group other than the speaker or listener. It means those shoes belong to them, without repeating a noun. The other options rely on possessive adjectives, which would require a noun after them (the shoes are their shoes, the shoes are our shoes), or use a nonstandard form (yous). If you were referring to ownership by the people you’re talking to, the correct pronoun would be yours, as in The shoes are yours. So, using theirs correctly conveys ownership by multiple people and fits the sentence structure after a linking verb.

When you want to say who owns something, using the right possessive form is key. Possessive pronouns can stand alone after a linking verb like are, and they replace a noun phrase that tells ownership. Possessive adjectives (their, our, your) modify a noun directly and can’t stand alone after a linking verb.

The shoes are theirs uses the possessive pronoun theirs to refer to ownership by a plural group other than the speaker or listener. It means those shoes belong to them, without repeating a noun. The other options rely on possessive adjectives, which would require a noun after them (the shoes are their shoes, the shoes are our shoes), or use a nonstandard form (yous). If you were referring to ownership by the people you’re talking to, the correct pronoun would be yours, as in The shoes are yours.

So, using theirs correctly conveys ownership by multiple people and fits the sentence structure after a linking verb.