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Tinanam0102 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

What does "its" refer to?

Hi teachers,

Excerpts:

The find marks the latest battleground in the increasingly heated clash between the country's 10,000-20,000 metal dectorists and the archeologists determinded to protect its artifacts.

1. What does "its" refer to in this sentence?

2. Does "determined to protect its artifacts" modify the "archeologists"?

Thank you very much.

Tinanam
  

Top answer

'its' refers to 'find' =a discovery of something valuable, typically something of archaeological interest) 2. We use 'modify' when referring to adverbs modifying verbs. " is used adjectivally, and qualifies 'archeologists' ('qualify' in grammar means "attribute a quality to (another word, especially a noun).

— Terryxpress

  • 'its' refers to 'find' =a discovery of something valuable, typically something of archaeological interest) 2.
  • We use 'modify' when referring to adverbs modifying verbs.
  • " is used adjectivally, and qualifies 'archeologists' ('qualify' in grammar means "attribute a quality to (another word, especially a noun).
  • "
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9 Answers
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1.'its' refers to 'find' Emotion: sad=a discovery of something valuable, typically something of archaeological interest)

2. We use 'modif
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Hi Terryxpress,

Does it mean "the archeologists are determined to protect the find's artifacts"? Is "find" uncountable and it consists of a large amount of artifacts?

Thank you.

Tinanam
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Hi Terryxpress,

Here's a larger preceeding paragraph:

Last year, a stash far more impressive than Mintey's was uncovered in a fiield outside Birmingham. Called the Staffordshire Hoard, it consists of more than 1,500 gold and silver objects from the seventh century and was valued at more than $4.5 million. While local museums scramble to raise enough money to keep the hoard off
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Surely in this instance 'its' is the possessive, here meaning the artifacts of the country?

I agree that 'determinded to protect its artifacts' qualifies 'the archeologists', reducing archeologists to a subset who are so determined.
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1. What does "its" refer to in this sentence?-- the country's

2. Does "determined to protect its artifacts" modify the "archeologists"?-- Yes
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In the sentence as given, it is read as clash being over protecting the artefacts from the find, to 'its' referred back to find.

In the larger context, 'latest battleground' indicates that there have been previous battles over artefacts found in the nation, and so 'its' is now perceived much more broadly, to refer to the country, with the artefacts from the current and previous finds.
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Does it mean "the archeologists are determined to protect the find's artifacts"?

YES

Is "find" uncountable - NO - "There have been many finds of priceless artefacts throughout Egypt."
"He made his most spectacular finds in the Valley of the King's."

and it consists of a large amount of artifacts?

The disco
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In the sentence as given, it is read as clash being over protecting the artefacts from the find, to 'its' referred back to find.
Sorry, Terry, but in the sentence as given-- precisely because it uses 'latest battleground' (as you have accurately noted)-- 'its' must refer to "the country's". No larger context is necessary. The clash is the ongoing class ('increasingly h
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Hi Mister Micawber,

Thank you for your clarification on the topic.

Hi Terryxpress

Thanks for the additional remarks on finds.

Tinanam
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