Well, yes they do, but not necessarily with pronouns. Often an apostrophe is used to show a contraction, like in it's or who's. Here are some examples of it's :. Without the apostrophe, the possessive pronoun its is less popular. It's not often an "it" owns something; it's usually "his" or "hers. Don't call a person an "it" unless you want to get into a fight, so save the possessive its for things and give "his" or "her" to people.
An animal has a gender, too, but it doesn't seem to mind, as long as its food dish is full. Here are more possessive its :. Words at Play When to Use It's vs. What to Know It's is a contraction and should be used where a sentence would normally read "it is. More Words At Play. Merriam-Webster's Words of the Week - Oct. Time Traveler. Love words? Need even more definitions? Ask the Editors 'Everyday' vs. What Is 'Semantic Bleaching'? How 'literally' can mean "figuratively".
Literally How to use a word that literally drives some pe Nonetheless, I understand and follow the exception to the rule. That said, I have a related question. We expanded on the topic of nouns as adjectives in our post Apostrophes and False Possessives , posted on May 19, Thank you for so much lively and humorous learning! I came upon your site while looking for somewhere credible to reference my information on the use of its as a possessive pronoun and have been well rewarded.
It has, however, taken quite some time out of my afternoon as I have trawled through the comments below the immediately required information. The banter is delightful. I noticed a discussion on the possessive form of names ending in s and wonder if you can please confirm the correct singular possessive form of James? Thanks for your help. I will visit again!
Thank you for the positive feedback. As we stated in our post Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch, or z, to show singular possession of a name ending in s or z, some writers add just an apostrophe. Others also add another s. See Rules 1b and 1c of Apostrophes for more discussion.
I find the blog to be one of my most important resources. Do you have any comment on that text? The Elements of Style is a highly regarded booklet on writing. Some of it is quite worthwhile, but it has notable lapses. Is the sentence formation correct? The phrase is correct. Its is a singular possessive pronoun referring to the singular noun thunder. When I talk about a bridge in New Brunswick. How would I write this correctly when I would talk about a bridge in Newfoundland?
I just want to say thank you for your help and clarity on this. No nitpicking just thanks for your willingness to answer. I mean, I am completely blown away, and in awe of such awesomeness. Thank you! It just looked wrong. I feel like the apostrophe has to be possessive in that sentence. Using a contraction in this manner is considered informal when used in writing. It is acceptable in speech. A contraction is not inherently bad grammar; in some cases, depending on the medium, it can help develop trust and familiarity.
Sometimes writing can be unnecessarily formal, which may sound stilted and create mental distance from the reader. In German, s is often used without apostrophe to show possessive nouns, not as a device for the plural. Your answer was understandable and concise, thanks. Unfortunately, I started reading the comments. The first sentence is grammatically correct. The word it is always a singular pronoun. If you add an s to the word, it becomes possessive, not plural, similar to his, hers, ours, theirs, yours.
However, the apostrophe following the s can be correct in other uses. For example, see Apostrophes with Names Ending in s, ch , or z. I have a question. Which sentence is correct? If the apostrophe was after the s- it showed possession.
If the apostrophe was before the s, it was a contraction and a place saver for a letter being removed. Please see our Rules for Apostrophes. Your coffee. This coffee is yours: this is your coffee. This bone is its: this is its bone. Leave a Comment or Question: Cancel reply. Please ensure that your question or comment relates to the topic of the blog post. Unrelated comments may be deleted. If necessary, use the "Search" box on the right side of the page to find a post closely related to your question or comment.
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