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ESL forum >
Ask for help > Possessives
Possessives
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EstherLee76
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Possessives
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Hi there grammar enthusiasts,
I-mine you- yours his-his hers- hers it - ? we-ours they-theirs
Can anyone tell me what goes in the question mark?
Thanks! |
19 Aug 2014
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EmiliaC
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its (do not confuse with "it �s" which is the contracted form of the conjugation of the verb "to be" in the third person: it is)
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19 Aug 2014
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EstherLee76
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So you can say, "This is mine and this is its"? |
19 Aug 2014
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cunliffe
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@EstherLee - yes, you can, but it �s an unlikely utterance. If things can own something, which is implied in this utterance, we would be more than likely to credit it with �his � or �hers � - maybe the �it � is a cat or a dog, or some entity that can own something.
Edit: My answer refers to when you are using mine, yours, theirs etc (i.e.stand alone), not my, your, their + noun. |
19 Aug 2014
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ueslteacher
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Here are some examples to help you illustrate the use of "its":- My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn.
- My neighbor �s cat never stays in its own yard.
- That bottle of wine is cheap, but it has its pluses.
- Google needs to update its privacy policy.
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19 Aug 2014
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EstherLee76
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Thanks Emilia.
Thanks Sophia. The possessive adjective "its" doesn �t confuse me. It �s the use as a pronoun. Thanks Lynne. That must be right. But I have never ever ever heard it used like that. |
20 Aug 2014
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cunliffe
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Julia says the diamond goblet belongs to the dog! Never! A dog with its own diamond goblet??? I think it �s the master �s, not the dog �s! You are wrong. It is its.
No, it really doesn �t sound right, but there we are! |
20 Aug 2014
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ueslteacher
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Oh, I see, my mistake, sorry.
Interesting discussion and some examples here. |
20 Aug 2014
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EstherLee76
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Sophia - fascinating examples! Thanks! |
20 Aug 2014
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