The words “your” and “yours” are easily confusing because of their spellings. You are most likely to misspell them, thinking they are the same word with the same meaning. But that should not be the case.
“Your” and “yours” are used differently in different sentences to mean different things. While they may look the same and carry almost the same general meaning, there are certain rules that we need to follow when we use them.
“Your” and “yours” are the possessive forms of “you.” The simplest way to differentiate them would be that “your” is followed by a noun, while “yours” is not. Let us discuss this in detail.
Your vs Yours – Difference
Your
When we make use of the word “your”, we need to understand that it indicates something relating to or belong to someone. “Your” is an adjective, to be more precise. It is a possessive adjective of the second person and can be singular or plural.
In short, “Your” is a form of the possessive case of “you” that shows possession of something and is followed by a noun or object. Let us look at some examples;
- Is this your hat?
- That is your cat on the balcony.
- Hey, where is your class?
- I am your new teacher.
We can analyze that “your” has an object. It is used attributively, and it qualifies the noun that follows it.
- This is your dress.
Here “your” used before a noun shows the possession over a dress and the nature of the adjective. In layman’s language, it is used to refer to or indicate a thing that belongs to or is associated with the individual or people we are addressing.
Yours
“Yours” on the other hand, is a possessive pronoun of the second person and is generally singular. It is a pronoun that indicates something that belongs to you.
We can also define “Yours” as a form of the personal possessive case of “you.” But unlike “your,” it is not followed by a noun. It is used after the noun and tries to modify the subject of the verb. Let us understand with some examples;
- That car is yours.
- I found a piece of cloth. Is it yours?
- That book is not yours.
- Is this box yours?
We see, “yours” is used predicatively, and it is the summation of “your” + the noun. Unlike “your,” where there is an object, ” yours ” becomes an object here. It is used in double possessive cases and can never be applied immediately after a noun.
- These things are yours.
Here, we are trying to indicate something that belongs to someone, and it is predictive in nature.
Remember the Difference between Your and Yours
- “Your” is a possessive adjective of the second personal pronoun, while “yours” is the possessive pronoun of the second personal pronoun, “you”.
- “Your” modifies a noun that follows it, while “yours” modifies a verb-subject and is not followed by a noun.
- “Your” has an object, while “yours” is the object.
So we notice that both the words look quite similar, but their usage can differ depending on the sentence. It is necessary to follow certain rules and not mistake them for the same.