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Rules on its, it's, its'

Rules on its, it's, its'

Rules on its, it's, its'

(OP)
Can anyone clarify when to use the above?

I know that "it's" is short for "it is".

The others are confusing for me.  Any takers?

tg

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it.  
Ex. That is the chicken's coop. That is its coop.

Its', as far as I know, is not a word.

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

it's you have right (it is)
its indicates possession (put it in its place)
its' is not used, as far as I know (meaning theirs?)

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

I can add one -  "its" is a possessive pronoun.
eg. the dog wagged its tail.

Ihe aprostrophe in it's always means "it is" as far as i know.

I'm not sure its' is ever used.

They say engineers can't write (he says with utter confidence) i think im right.
 
Oli

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

ivymike:  I've come to see that if someone incorrectly uses it's, then its' is used.  So, yes, its' is not supposed to be used, but when I see that I assume that it is a possession of a plural 'it.'  - which would of course be something else.

Or, is it something else?

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

too long thinking without reloading the page

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

its' refers to something belonging to an its.

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

(OP)
Thanks everyone.

That's what I thought.

Its'' crazy how difficult the english language is...:)

tg

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

From Strunk and White:

A common error is to write it's for its, or vice versa. The first is a contraction, meaning "it is." The second is a possessive.

    It's a wise dog that scratches its own fleas.




There is no such thing as its'

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

Quote:

...but when I see that I assume that it is a possession of a plural 'it.'

ivymike had it correct. That would be "thiers". They or them is already the plural of "it".

Then you have the other misuse of that term, being "their's" used as possesive of their, which needs to follow the same rule as "it" since it's just a pluralism to begin with.

The one I really love is the use of "their's" in place of "there's" as a contraction of "there is".

Eng-Tips: Help for your job, not for your homework  Read FAQ731-376

RE: Rules on its, it's, its'

You may find this useful:

It's it's not its.

Or you may not!

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

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