is
an English idiom. This idiom expresses ownership. It means that if you
have something in your possession (in your house, or business, or
somewhere you can get it) you have a stronger legal claim to it than
someone who doesn't have it.
Read this little story about possession. The words that show possession are
Whose Sofa Was It?
Josie and Freddie were roommates. Josie bought a sofa from Craigslist for their living room. Josie moved out, but left the sofa behind. Freddie told Josie that she could get it later, after she got settled.
Three months later, Josie went back to her old apartment to get the sofa.
But Freddie didn't let her take it. He said, "The sofa belongs to me. I am the sofa's owner. The sofa is mine. It is my sofa. You can't have it. Possession is nine-tenths of the law, and you can't prove that it's yours."
Poor Josie! Freddie is right. Josie has no proof that she bought
the sofa - no receipt, no people who saw her buy it. It will be
difficult for her to get the sofa back.
When
you are learning English, knowing how to speak and write about
possession is important. Freddie knows many ways to say the the sofa
belongs to him (even if it doesn't!) If Freddie were a nice person, he
would say, "The sofa belongs to you, so you can take it. The sofa's owner is you. The sofa is yours. It is your sofa. It's yours. The sofa's yours!"
The words and phrases that show possession in the statements Freddie makes are
belongs to me,
mine,
my. If he were a nice person, he would use the words and phrases
belongs to you, yours, your. Possessive Pronouns and Adjectives, and Possessive Nouns
There are three types of words that show possession. They are possessive pronouns, possessive adjectives, and possessive nouns.
Possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his / hers / its, ours, theirs)
Possessive adjectives (my, your, his / her / its, our, their)
Possessive nouns (add an apostrophe plus s to the noun.)
Example: the sofa's owner, Nina's book, my mother's name.)
In addition, we can show possession by using object pronoun phrases
(belongs to me / you /him, her, it / us / them)