A friend of mine means one of my friends; my own means mine alone, never an own; he cuts his own hair means he does it himself; on my own and by myself both mean alone.
A a friend of mine, a friend of yours
The pattern is (a friend) of mine, yours, his, hers, ours, theirs. A friend of mine = one of my friends. a friend of me is always wrong.
Names and nouns work the same way: a friend of my sister's, an idea of Tom's.
- I'm off to a christening on Sunday. A friend of mine has had a baby.
- We went camping with some neighbours of ours. (not some neighbours of us)
- Harry had a row with a neighbour of his.
- Booking a table was a clever idea of yours.
- That woman by the bar is a friend of my sister's.
- Bringing a flask was a clever idea of Tom's.
B my own, your own
We say my own, your own, her own and so on. Never an own house.
My own means mine only: not shared, not borrowed. You can also say a room of my own, problems of his own.
- I don't want to share. I want my own room.
- Vicky and Gary would love their own house.
- It's a pity the flat hasn't got its own parking space.
- It's my own fault I'm skint. I buy too much rubbish.
- Why do you keep using my charger? Haven't you got your own?
- I'd like a room of my own.
- He can't help you with your problems. He's got plenty of his own.
C He cuts his own hair
own can also mean that you do it yourself, without anyone doing it for you.
- Paul cuts his own hair. (nobody else does it for him)
- I'd love an allotment so I could grow my own vegetables.
D on my own and by myself
On my own and by myself both mean alone.
| on ... own | by ...self |
|---|---|
| on my own | by myself |
| on your own | by yourself, by yourselves |
| on his, her, its own | by himself, herself, itself |
| on our own | by ourselves |
| on their own | by themselves |
- I like living on my own. I like living by myself.
- My grandad prefers to live on his own.
- Jack was sitting by himself in the corner of the café.
- Did you travel round Asia on your own?
Exercises
83.1 Rewrite the part in bold with ... of mine, yours and so on.
I'm having lunch with one of my friends today. I'm having lunch with a friend of mine today.
I'm having lunch with a friend of mine today.
We met one of your relatives. We met .
We met a relative of yours.
Jason borrowed one of my books. Jason borrowed .
Jason borrowed a book of mine.
I bumped into Lisa and some of her classmates. I bumped into Lisa and .
I bumped into Lisa and some classmates of hers.
We had tea with one of our neighbours. We had tea with .
We had tea with a neighbour of ours.
I went camping with two of my friends. I went camping with .
I went camping with two friends of mine.
One of Amy's cousins is coming to stay. is coming to stay.
A cousin of Amy's is coming to stay.
One of my dreams is to sail round the world. is to sail round the world.
A dream of mine is to sail round the world.
83.2 Complete the sentences with my own, our own and so on, and one of these: bathroom, business, opinions, private beach, words.
bathroombusinessopinionsprivate beachwords
We share a garden, but we each have our own front door.
We share a garden, but we each have our own front door.
Gary never copies other people's ideas. He has .
Gary never copies other people's ideas. He has his own ideas.
Julia doesn't want to work for anybody else. She wants to start .
Julia doesn't want to work for anybody else. She wants to start her own business.
Don't copy the article. Explain it in .
Don't copy the article. Explain it in your own words.
We stayed at a posh hotel on the coast. The hotel had .
We stayed at a posh hotel on the coast. The hotel had its own private beach.
83.3 Complete the sentences with my own, your own and so on.
Why do you keep borrowing my umbrella? Why don't you buy your own?
Why do you keep borrowing my umbrella? Why don't you buy your own?
Don't blame the referee. You missed the penalty. It's .
Don't blame the referee. You missed the penalty. It's your own fault.
She's always pinching my ideas. Why can't she use ?
She's always pinching my ideas. Why can't she use her own?
Don't fret about my worries. I'm sure you've got .
Don't fret about my worries. I'm sure you've got your own.
I can't choose her career for her. She has to make .
I can't choose her career for her. She has to make her own.
83.4 Complete the sentences with my own, your own and so on, using the verb in brackets.
Paul never goes to the barber's. He cuts his own hair. (cut)
Paul never goes to the barber's. He cuts his own hair.
Helen rarely buys clothes. She likes to . (make)
Helen rarely buys clothes. She likes to make her own clothes.
I'm not cleaning your boots. You can . (clean)
I'm not cleaning your boots. You can clean your own boots.
We hardly ever buy bread. We usually . (bake)
We hardly ever buy bread. We usually bake our own bread.
Jack and Joe are folk singers. They sing other people's songs, but they also . (write)
Jack and Joe are folk singers. They sing other people's songs, but they also write their own songs.
83.5 Complete the sentences with my own, your own and so on, or myself, yourself and so on.
Did you travel round Asia on your own?
Did you travel round Asia on your own?
The sofa was too heavy for me to shift by .
The sofa was too heavy for me to shift by myself.
Nobody helped us decorate the flat. We did it completely on .
Nobody helped us decorate the flat. We did it completely on our own.
Very young children shouldn't go swimming by .
Very young children shouldn't go swimming by themselves.
"Who was Tom with at the café?" "No one. He was sitting by ."
"Who was Tom with at the café?" "No one. He was sitting by himself."
I don't take milk in my coffee. I like it on .
I don't take milk in my coffee. I like it on its own.
Do you like working in a team, or do you prefer working by ?
Do you like working in a team, or do you prefer working by yourself?
I walked Sal home because she didn't want to walk back on .
I walked Sal home because she didn't want to walk back on her own.
83.6 Are these sentences right? Write OK, or write the correct sentence.
Katie would love to have the own house.
Katie would love to have her own house.
Katie would love to have her own house.
Ravi and Kim are neighbours of us.
Ravi and Kim are neighbours of ours.
It was dark. I didn't fancy walking home by my own.
It was dark. I didn't fancy walking home on my own.
At university I had own room for the first time.
At university I had my own room for the first time.
He never joins in. He always sits with himself.
He never joins in. He always sits by himself.
My aunt and uncle are on a cruise with some friends of them.
My aunt and uncle are on a cruise with some friends of theirs.
Are there any countries that grow all own food?
Are there any countries that grow all their own food?