Its VS It's

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My friend reported to me the other day that "its" (as in, belonging to it) is commonly appearing in newspapers and magazine as "it's" now. I have yet to see this, but if it's true, is this a sad day for grammar -- or just an inevitable concession to ignorance?

― dleone (dleone), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

BAN THE APOSTROPHE NOW ITS TIME IS PAST

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:13 (twenty-two years ago)

what would be the plural possessive of this?

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:31 (twenty-two years ago)

"It's-Its'"

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Faith No More?

― Horace Mann (Horace Mann), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Apostrophes are sexy.

― NA (Nick A.), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I't's'!'!'!'!'!'!

― APOSTROPHES GONE WILD! (nickalicious), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Sometimes the obvious jokes are the funniest ones.

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 17:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Grammar police:
It's ALWAYS is a contraction of It + is ALWAYS. Anything else indicates a bad editor.
Its is a possessive pronoun = "belonging to it"

― Orbit (Orbit), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 18:56 (twenty-two years ago)

People R dumb. That's right, R.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:01 (twenty-two years ago)

We R V.R.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:17 (twenty-two years ago)

So when a person possesses something it's Bobby's, but when it's "it's" it's (meaning "it's") wrong? Why is this. And what is the difference between Bobby's and Bobbys'

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:25 (twenty-two years ago)

I have no clue about the first question, but Bobbys' means indicates multiple Bobbys possessing something, whereas Bobby's implies a single Bobby.

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Apostrophe after the s is for plural possessives (two Bobbys).

"Its" replaced "his" for the gender-neutral possessive when sex replaced grammatical grammar. The apostrophe wasn't standardized until English grammar and spelling were formalized by amateur grammarians in the 19th century.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:29 (twenty-two years ago)

Of course, seems so simple now I think about it.

Hower, I do know the answer to the first one, I just wanted to use it's a lot in a row.

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Best use of apostrophy = "there're".

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Can of worms time: what do yall do with plural possessives then? Bobbys' or Bobbys's?

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

when sex replaced grammatical grammar

"Grammatical grammar" = "grammatical gender." Blame the fever.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

I've heard that journalism teaches the former, whereas academia sez the latter.

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:31 (twenty-two years ago)

There's no real can of worms, then -- do what your boss/instructor tells you :) People (mostly those bosses and instructors) treat grammar as if it's some kind of objective truth that's been divined from the tea leaves of language, but it's just shit people made up when they were writing books.

― Tep (ktepi), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Can of worms time: what do yall do with plural possessives then? Bobbys' or Bobbys's?

After the Nicoles had balanced leanly on their elbows, they struck the Bobbys' jaws cleanly with their matching purple pumps. But then Ross's gun came out.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 19:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Sex has replaced grammatical gender? Whoopee! fucking in the streets.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:03 (twenty-two years ago)

the plural possessive of bobby would in my view be bobbies' but if you want to add an extra "s" at the end it's up to you - this is more of a style thing that a straight-up point of grammatical rectitude

― Dave Stelfox (Dave Stelfox), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Usually, if it's a plural then I just add an apostrophe, if it's a word that ends in s in the singular, then I add another one after the apostrophe.

eg. Boys' clubs
Jess's problem

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:17 (twenty-two years ago)

What about Jesus? I like Jesus', but this contadicts the best solution to this problem, which is write it as you would say it. And I'd say Jesus's.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Jesus's. Learn to love it.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:24 (twenty-two years ago)

I will attempt to. Or, it will be Eyeball Kicks' attempt.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:34 (twenty-two years ago)

My real name is Charles and I get annoyed when people write:
It's Charles' pen
rather than
It's Charles's pen

There are no more than one of me!!!

― dog latin (dog latin), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:43 (twenty-two years ago)

my pen is
is long

― Leee (Leee), Tuesday, 29 July 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

CALLING ALL GRAMMAR NAZIS

― Chris Radford (Chris Radford), Wednesday, 30 July 2003 00:29 (twenty-two years ago)

five years pass...

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/8400/itsk.jpg

― mookieproof, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 05:23 (sixteen years ago)

good luck usa

― ian, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 05:28 (sixteen years ago)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3100/2793023779_4e1a3d18f8_o.jpg

― (*ﾟーﾟ)θ L(。･＿･)　　　°~ヾ(･ε･ *) (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 06:11 (sixteen years ago)

love itsk!

― tehresa, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 06:13 (sixteen years ago)

people who use "its" as a possessive pronoun rather than "it's", classic or fucking terrifying?

― ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 11:18 (sixteen years ago)

The apostrophe - its back!

― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 11:20 (sixteen years ago)

Favourite use of the apostrophe = "amn't"

― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 11:21 (sixteen years ago)

oh now that is straight fucking class right there

― tehresa, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 11:21 (sixteen years ago)

Of all the retarded arguments I had with this one ex, the one I remember most was over the definitions of its and it's in which a dictionary was actually brought into the matter. You'd think the debate would have ended there!

― drunk shudder shades chick gets kicked out of mcdonalds totally (╓abies), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 13:13 (sixteen years ago)

yeah but should the plural of ex be exes or ex's?

― ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:19 (sixteen years ago)

or exii?

― ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:19 (sixteen years ago)

exits

― Aqua Teen Cunga Force (blueski), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:23 (sixteen years ago)

I like "amn't". In fact, I feel like I might have used it recently.

― Like most people my age, I am 33 (Laurel), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:31 (sixteen years ago)

I love "amn't".

― Raekwon Parlour (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:32 (sixteen years ago)

I'm personally a fan of y'all's

― NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! dude, yessssss! (B.L.A.M.), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:33 (sixteen years ago)

i enjoy ya'll

― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 16:35 (sixteen years ago)

guns 'n roses or guns 'n' roses or guns n' roses or guns n roses or guns \n/ roses?

― ken "save-a-finn" c (ken c), Wednesday, 22 July 2009 17:12 (sixteen years ago)

According to the home-drawn tattoo that I saw on a guy on holiday, the apostrophe is superfluous - it's "guns and roses"

― Ismael Klata, Wednesday, 22 July 2009 17:41 (sixteen years ago)

four months pass...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KyUtpzxKwSA/Sv1I2LLFisI/AAAAAAAABPg/ZsC9DfmhaQA/s1600-h/Land+Rover.jpg

― johnny crunch, Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:21 (sixteen years ago)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_KyUtpzxKwSA/Sv1I2LLFisI/AAAAAAAABPg/ZsC9DfmhaQA/s1600-h/Land+Rover.jpg

work maybe?

― johnny crunch, Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:22 (sixteen years ago)

how are we pronouncing "amn't" here. A juvenile West of Scotland pronunciation of "amn't" that I'm found of is am-ur-nae.

― Pedro Paramore (jim), Sunday, 22 November 2009 18:24 (sixteen years ago)

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