possessive
/pəˈzesɪv/ (bre, ipa) · /pəˈzesɪv/ (ame, ipa) · /pə-ˈze-siv also -ˈse-/ (ame, mw)
possessive — adjective
- possessivepositive
- more possessivecomparative
- most possessivesuperlative
1. not willing to let other people use or share things that you feel are yours.
not willing to let other people use or share things that you feel are yours.
Leo is possessive about his camera and never lends it to classmates.
possessive about + thing owned
Even at home, Mia stayed possessive of the blue blanket.
possessive of + object
The twins grew possessive when their cousins touched the game console.
At recess, Nora was possessive about her new bike and refused to share.
That little boy sounds possessive whenever anyone asks to borrow his toy truck.
- selfish
broader and can include more than sharing possessions
- territorial
often used for space or anything treated as one's own area
- protective
can overlap, but often suggests care or safety rather than ownership
文法句型
be possessive about + thing
be possessive of + thing
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'about' or 'of' plus the owned thing. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is about not sharing things, not about trying to control another person.
常見錯誤
2. wanting one person's love, time, or attention only for yourself, and trying not
wanting one person's love, time, or attention only for yourself, and trying not to let others share it.
Jin grew possessive of his best friend after the new student arrived.
possessive of + person
Rex became possessive whenever Emma talked to male coworkers at lunch.
The film shows a possessive father checking his daughter's phone.
At college, Maya left a possessive boyfriend who tracked her messages.
Cara grew possessive and told her girlfriend to stop texting old friends.
- jealous
focuses more on fear of rivals than on control
- controlling
broader and can describe many kinds of dominating behavior
- clingy
informal and suggests emotional dependence more than domination
- domineering
stronger and more forceful in controlling others
文法句型
be possessive of + person
possessive boyfriend/parent/friend
用法筆記
Usually describes unhealthy behavior in close relationships, often with a person named after 'of' or understood from context. Distinguish from sense 1: the focus here is another person's attention or freedom, not an owned object.
常見錯誤
3. describing a grammar form used to mark ownership or another belonging relationsh
describing a grammar form used to mark ownership or another belonging relationship.
During class, Ms. Wu wrote "my bag" and called "my" a possessive adjective.
grammar label: possessive adjective
The teacher underlined the possessive form in "Sara's coat".
possessive form in a noun phrase
Our workbook explains when a possessive pronoun can stand alone.
During editing, Nina added a possessive noun before "school bus" in her essay.
On the board, Mr. Lin wrote two possessive forms of "children".
文法句型
possessive adjective
possessive form
possessive pronoun
用法筆記
This sense only describes the type of grammar form, as in 'possessive adjective' or 'possessive form'. Distinguish from noun sense 1, which names the actual word or phrase, and noun sense 2, which names the case itself.
常見錯誤
possessive — noun
1. a word or group of words that shows who or what something belongs to.
a word or group of words that shows who or what something belongs to.
In class, Ms. Wu pointed to "my" and called it a possessive.
noun use: a possessive = possessive word
In class, Ava circled the possessive at the start of each sentence.
During editing, Ben used "the girl's" as a possessive before "hat".
Ben forgot that "ours" is a possessive, not an adjective.
- possessive form
common classroom term for the actual word or phrase
- genitive form
more technical term in grammar study
文法句型
a possessive in + phrase
use/circle/identify a possessive
用法筆記
This noun points to the actual form in a sentence, such as 'my', 'ours', or 'the girl's'. Distinguish from adjective sense 3, which labels the form as a type, and noun sense 2, which names the grammar case.
常見錯誤
2. the grammar case used to show belonging or a similar relationship.
the grammar case used to show belonging or a similar relationship.
On the worksheet, Ava marked the possessive in "the dog's bowl".
the possessive = the case name
Some students learn the possessive before they study object pronouns.
The chart shows how German marks the possessive in family names.
In today's lesson, we compared the possessive with the plural.
- possessive case
full grammar label
- genitive
technical term often used for the same case
- genitive case
formal grammar term
文法句型
the possessive
use/mark the possessive
用法筆記
Usually used with 'the' because it names a grammar case, not a single word. Distinguish from noun sense 1, which refers to the word or phrase that appears in that case.