It's, Its', Its

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Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
23,578
1
0


<< That is where I got the idea that "it's got a big engine" was right and I was sure it was. >>



That is technically the correct usage in that it's is being used as a contraction for it has. The overall verb usage is incorrect, though. If you remove the contraction you have:

It has got a big engine.

This is an incorrect conjugation of the verb to be.

Proper use should be:

It has a big engine.

its'
Plural possessive. Probably not used a lot

its
Possessive

it's
Contraction for it is, it has...

amish
 

mesonw

Senior member
Aug 8, 2001
516
0
0
Here's a valid plural possessive: "All the cars' engines were revving".


Oh and here's a useful Scrabble tip :) : got an 'S' - plurals are not allowed, but you can slap it on the end of anything that could be considered a verb... it's not a plural and doesn't need an apostrophe :)

eg. books (he "books a ticket"), chickens (she "chickens out"), eggs (she "eggs him on")
 

Electric Amish

Elite Member
Oct 11, 1999
23,578
1
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Yeah, there are several cases for plural possessive, but I couldn't come up with an example for its' off the top of my head. :)

amish
 

BigToque

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
11,700
0
76


<< If I knew what using EH was in 27 different ways perhaps I could then take offense? >>



He thought you were Canadian (I'm assuming, cause I thought what he said was quite funny :)).
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
OH! That is "eh?", not just "EH" I didn't know what he was talking about. European Helicopters perhaps !
 

Logix

Diamond Member
Jul 26, 2001
3,627
0
0
How can "it" be plural? It is just "it". The word is plural, singular, and all-encompassing all in two letters. You would never use "its" as a noun, only as an adjective demonstrating ownership.

Therefore, its' does not exist in any way, shape, or form.

Also, I don't think you can abbreviate IT WAS as it's. For example, if you contract the sentence "It was fun" you'd say, "It's fun" which would subsequently be interpreted as "It is fun" which wasn't what you meant.
 

Cyberian

Diamond Member
Jun 17, 2000
9,999
1
0


<<

<<
wrong ;) IT'S is also a contraction for IT HAS, not only IT IS

ex) He's got the problem = He has got the problem

~andy
>>



It's sad to think that this is what most people think is right. What a sorry education system our country has got. ;)
>>


From Webster:

Main Entry: it's
Pronunciation: 'its, &ts
Date: circa 1555
: it is : it has
 

khtm

Platinum Member
Mar 5, 2001
2,089
0
0


<<

<< It's sad to think that this is what most people think is right. What a sorry education system our country has got. >>



Dude, check it out yourself @ dictionary.com

Who's wrong? The whole sorry education system of our country or you? :frown:
>>


Haha, mOoGotMilk, I think you missed the point. ;)
He was joking about your choice of an example, "ex) He's got the problem = He has got the problem". That's why he said "...our country has got." to basically mock your bad use of the english language. "He has got" would be considered BAD english by many an english professor.

-khtm-
 

Thrillhou

Senior member
Jul 24, 2001
201
0
0


<<

<<

<< It's sad to think that this is what most people think is right. What a sorry education system our country has got. >>



Dude, check it out yourself @ dictionary.com

Who's wrong? The whole sorry education system of our country or you? :frown:
>>


Haha, mOoGotMilk, I think you missed the point. ;)
He was joking about your choice of an example, "ex) He's got the problem = He has got the problem". That's why he said "...our country has got." to basically mock your bad use of the english language. "He has got" would be considered BAD english by many an english professor.

-khtm-
>>




Thank you! Finally someone who has got a firm grasp of the english language. I think its going to be hard to explain it's real usage to someone that has got such a narrow view of things.
 

RSI

Diamond Member
May 22, 2000
7,281
1
0
Hey Skoorb,

Don't listen to the ones complaining about your threads like this, I like 'em. :) They're better than most of the others, this gives something actually useful and fun to discuss/debate, and entertaining when you see how many people don't know jack about spieling and an gremmer. ;)

Seriously though, il n y a rien de compliqu&eacute; concernant la langue anglaise!

You could speak and write without using any abbreviations or contractions. You would just speak like a robot (or Vulcan if you're a trekkie)!

It's really quite simple...

It is = It's, as many have pointed out, and can also be used for it has. I honestly don't see the complicatinos with that.

Let's take an examplatory sentence: Billy Joe liked his guitar's colour
Well, we could change that to He liked its colour. There's no apostrophe because if there was one, it would mean it is, which obviously would make no sense at all. I'm no english expert (it IS my mother tongue), and I'm no english professor, but it's not hard to figure out simple rules like this, which are taught in the early years of school.

You, You Are - You're, it - it's, they - they're, etc - All you really need to remember is what the apostrophe does - it substitutes a word like "is", "has" or "are", etc. So any time you have trouble using the it's and you'res, think of that. Break it down and ask yourself if it would make sense!

However, there are often times when the apostrophe does not mean IS or HAS or ARE. For example, if you're writing a sentence, and you want to say the guitar of billy is blue, you're not going to write Billys guitar is blue cause you think "there is no 'is' attached to billy". You're right, there is no is, but there's still an apostrophe! I don't know the technical crapola for that, but it's just the way it is!

Adul: That made absolutely no sense!!

OK, I think some people explained this better than I did. But I don't think I made many or any mistakes. :p

-RSI
 

RSI

Diamond Member
May 22, 2000
7,281
1
0


<< Its is possessive.
It's is a contract for it is.

Not sure about Its'
>>

Very simple concise manner of putting it. ;)

It's not hard to explain or grasp, but it is however difficult to explain how so many people can make that mistake so often.

-RSI
 

ericb

Senior member
Nov 11, 1999
898
0
0
What about:

Its' spaceship. No defined gender.

(the alien is not named 'it')

 

Zenmervolt

Elite member
Oct 22, 2000
24,514
44
91
Just so all of you are aware, a dictionary, any dictionary, is not an authority on proper usage, rather it is the authority on common usage. For example, newer dictionaries cite "cactuses" and "octopuses" as plurals for "cactus" and "octopus" respectively, while older versions do not allow these variants. Older dictionaries also tend to list the only pronounciation of "caribbean" as "ca-rib-e-an", while newer ones allow "cari-be-an" as well. My 1968 copy of Webster's states the following, "'It's' is a contraction of 'it is'.". No mention is made of a contraction for "it has". I do not mean to claim that anyone is wrong, only to point out that the usage of a particular word changes over time.

Zenmervolt

EDIT: Rather ironic that while posting about dictionaries, I have to edit my post for spelling.
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
11,631
2
0
Watch out! Skoorb is going to become our very own pronoun patrol!

Don't forget pronoun agreement!

Wrong: Everyone has their own car.
Right: Everyone has his own car.

Everyone is singular, so the posessive has to be singular to.

That's the one that grates (greats :) ) on my nerves. ;)
 

StageLeft

No Lifer
Sep 29, 2000
70,150
5
0
BDawg


We're getting freaky now!

Actually, unlike my your/you're & could/couldn't thread I wasn't trying to harp on anyone here but understand the it's stuff properly. I think I have it down for the most part now. It's actually not too complicated :)

Your right though. I will be the pronoun patrol! I will strike down poor grammar and english skills at it's roots and if nobody likes' it I could care less!
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
11,631
2
0


<< I will strike down poor grammar and english skills at it's roots and if nobody likes' it I could care less! >>



LOL! You'll fit in just fine in 'Bama! ;)
 

Tom

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
13,293
1
76
Its Monty Python's Flying Circus !

No it isn't.

Yes it is !!


edit- No it isn't, It's it's !!

Oh.

It's Monty Python's Flying Circus !!




 

Thrillhou

Senior member
Jul 24, 2001
201
0
0
Who's (whose?) going to start the bring/take thread? That is more misused than it's/its. Maybe because it's and its sound the same and nobody notices when they aren't used properly.
 

BDawg

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
11,631
2
0
Listening to the radio, I had a stroke of brilliance!

Skoorb's new sig should be (respect to Tom Petty)

-----------------

The Pronoun Patrol

It's allright if you love me, its allright if you don't

-----------------

LOL!
 

raz

Banned
Feb 19, 2000
643
0
0
On a similar note...

A lot of users could use a crash course on the correct usage of who and whom. I'm no professor but I think it goes something like...use who if you can replace it with he/she, use whom if you can replace it with him/her.