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Anonymous Posted 21 years ago
Grammar
its
In the possessie, mine, yours, his, hers, theirs when do you use its. I see it in some charts and not in others. How would it be used.
Top answer
"its" is the singular form, either inanimate or indeterminate in gender. Please take measurements of the room. Measure its height, its length, and its width.
- "its" is the singular form, either inanimate or indeterminate in gender.
- Please take measurements of the room.
- Measure its height, its length, and its width.
- The little dog seemed unable to stop wagging its tail.
- CJ
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6 Answers
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"its" is the singular form, either inanimate or indeterminate in gender.
Please take measurements of the room. Measure its height, its length, and its width.
The little dog seemed unable to stop wagging its tail.
CJ
Please take measurements of the room. Measure its height, its length, and its width.
The little dog seemed unable to stop wagging its tail.
CJ
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Hi,
I think the query is actually about possessive pronouns.
We can say 'This xxxx is mine' (or yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).
But while we can say 'This dog-dish is Fido's', can we say 'This dog-dish is its'? My Swan's Practical English Usage says there is no such pronoun.
This surprises me a bit. I can say, of a dog, 'That is its dog-dish'. I don't see why w
I think the query is actually about possessive pronouns.
We can say 'This xxxx is mine' (or yours, his, hers, ours, theirs).
But while we can say 'This dog-dish is Fido's', can we say 'This dog-dish is its'? My Swan's Practical English Usage says there is no such pronoun.
This surprises me a bit. I can say, of a dog, 'That is its dog-dish'. I don't see why w
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CliveThis surprises me a bit. I can say, of a dog, 'That is its dog-dish'. I don't see why we can't then say 'That dog-dish is its'. If I heard that, it wouldn't register with me as being wrong.Why not? This is very strange. You are not violating any rule. It seems logical, doesn't it?
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Thanks for straightening that out, Clive. I was not reading very carefully, was I?
I can't think of a case either where the pronoun "its" ever occurs. Curious.
CJ
I can't think of a case either where the pronoun "its" ever occurs. Curious.
CJ
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Its is usually used for inanimate objects. Since animals have genders, it can be common to say "that dog-dish is hers" more often that "that dog-dish is its."
Some examples:
My car isn't working, its engine is shot.
This website has a lot of information in its forums.
Some examples:
My car isn't working, its engine is shot.
This website has a lot of information in its forums.
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