Learn English – “Your (something)” vs. “Your own (something)”

differenceword-meaningword-usage

I frequently hear this expression :

possessive pronoun + own + something

To what extent is that composition different from that one :

possessive pronoun + something

For example :

"Your own company" & "Your company".

I know they are identical, but what's the real significance of the addition of the word "own" ?

Best Answer

Here, "own" emphasizes sole personal ownership:

Used with a possessive to emphasize that someone or something belongs or relates to the person mentioned

It often distinguishes individual ownership from shared or less-than-complete ownership:

I used to share a truck with my brother, but tomorrow I'm buying my own car.

I worked at Megacorp, Inc. for twenty years, but now I'm starting my own company.

We moved out of our apartment into our own house.

In those cases, I have a car or a company, but it's not my own car or company (though I may be allowed to drive it or I may work there). The last case, I've moved out of a shared apartment building into a privately-owned house.

Consider the sentence:

Bob, stop eating my cookies! Buy your own food!

Using only "buy your food" here sounds a bit strange. Using "your own food" is much more natural. To express the same sentiment without using "own", you could say:

Bob, stop eating my cookies! Buy some food for yourself!

Sometimes, own is used purely for emphasis, showing that the object is greatly desired or loved:

Just think of it: if I can get this new client, I'll have my very own corner office!

When I'm a millionaire, I'll buy a giant pool and my very own team of sled dogs!

In this case of a greatly loved object, it's also appropriate to use "very own", e.g., "my very own team of sled dogs". This is generally used to intensify the statement and express excitement. To use an example above:

I worked at Megacorp, Inc. for twenty years, but now I'm starting my very own company!

In this case, I am obviously very excited about starting my new company.

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