Does "its" means "its thing"?

Question

First,  we can say "hers" instead of "her car" in the following sentence:My car is new, but hers is old.So this is my question: Does the word "its" has the same function? For example: The dog's tail is wounded. Because its is bitten by another dog.I know this sentence is very strange, but I really want to know if there's any possility that "its" can be used to represent "its thing".Could you give me your opinion?Thank you!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I, she and it.
To show ownership, we make these:
My, her and its.

Meaning:
I own a car, she owns a car and it owns a car.
My car, her car and its car.

This car belongs to me. This car is mine.
This car belongs to her. This car is hers.
This car belongs to it. This car is its'.

You can immediately see that the last sentence and the one before it don't read well and don't look right. That's because, aside from being difficult to pronounce, we are now referring to two things -- something belonging to another thing. "What" owns the car? It is not mentioned.

In cases like these, we need to expand the idea to make our statement clear.

My car is new, but her car is old.
Mine is new, but hers is old.

My car is new, but its car is old.
You can still get away with this sentence if you establish beforehand that something (like a robot, for example, or even a bank that has reposessed a car for which someone could no longer pay) owns a car.

Mine is new, but its' is old.
Even though we've followed the proper patterns, this version makes no sense. It's like you're saying, "something's something is old." What does that mean? For clarity, it's best to give a more complete description.

My car is new, but the robot's car is old.
Mine is new, but the robot's car is old.

My car is new, but the bank's car is old.
Mine is new, but the bank's car is old.

So, to finally answer your question(s), the word "its" does not have the same function as "hers" -- as you will clearly see if you refer back to the top of my post. And as we've just explained here, you cannot use just "its" to represent "something's something."

Type out the longer, more specific version. It's only just a few more keystrokes, anyway.

Arvsworld · Answer

I keep forgetting to log on first.

"My car is new, but its car is old.
You can still get away with this sentence if you establish beforehand that something (like a robot, for example, or even a bank that has reposessed a car for which someone could no longer pay) owns a car."

My car is new, but its car is old.
Without any other information for this sentence, wouldn't it look like you're saying that your car owns a car? How is that possible?

Again, just take the time to type out the full idea. It'll save you a lot of time re-explaining to people exactly what you mean.

Hoa Thai · Answer

ViceidolFirst, we can say "hers" instead of "her car" in the following sentence:

My car is new, but hers is old.

So this is my question: Does the word "its" has the same function? For example:

The dog's tail is wounded. Because its is bitten by another dog.

I know this sentence is very strange, but I really want to know if there's any possility that "its" can be used to represent "its thing".

Could you give me your opinion?
Thank you!

Hi Viceidol,

First, before I forget, the Because statement is fragmented and should be attached to the main clause (i.e. the period should be removed).

Now, regarding your question:

" - hers is a pronoun used to indicate the one or ones belonging to her.
- its is an adjective should be used to modify nouns." - American Heritage Dictionary.

Therefore, its used in your sentence is grammatically incorrect due to the missing noun. That makes your sentence nonsensical.

Best,
Hoa Thai

BarbaraPA · Answer

The short answer is that its corresponds to his or her.

My sister fluffed her hair.
My brother brushed his teeth.
The dog wagged its tail.

That's my sister's car. It's hers.
That's my brother's car. It's his.
That's the dog's water bowl. *It's its. - This one just doesn't work. Understandable, but awkward as all heck.

Marius Hancu · Answer

>That's the dog's water bowl. *It's its. - This one just doesn't work. Understandable, but awkward as all heck.

Agree

BarbaraPA · Answer

I'm glad you didn't take offense at my racy language. <img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Viceidol · Answer

Thank you, Barbara and other people. I'm totally understand now. Thanks!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/2.gif' alt='Emotion: big smile'/>

CalifJim · Answer

Does the word "its" ~~has~~ have the same function?

Yes. It is theoretically possible and correct, but hardly ever used. There is little need for it, because it usually requires a contrast between an animate and an inanimate -- and how often is that sort of contrast necessary in real life?

Here's my hand, and there's the hand of the clock on the wall.
My hand is made of flesh, and its is made of steel.

Much preferred: ... and the clock's is made of steel.
Alternately:
The hand of the clock is made of steel, and mine is made of flesh.

CJ

Viceidol · Answer

That's a very, very good example! Thanks!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

Does "its" means "its thing"?

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