LeicesterLad  +  138456 Sat, 17 Sep 05 02:00 PM I read in an archived thread recently that it is incorrect to use an apostrophe with the third-person neuter pronoun (ie "it") to imply possesion. In other words, you shouldn't say - of a cat for example: "It's fur is shiny and black" Is this correct?  If so, how then does one imply possesion for an object/animal/person when it has no gender or the gender is not known? Does one have to use the more cumbersome:  "The cat's fur is shiny and black" every time - even if the words "The cat" were used in the previous - or even the same - sentence?   LeicesterLad Joined on Fri, Sep 16 2005 N E England (Orig from Leicester) Junior Member 81 Genders, Nouns, Pronouns, Apostrophes

	Clive  +  138459 Sat, 17 Sep 05 02:14 PM Hi, Welcome to the Forum. Just say Its fur is shiny and black. Its is a possessive adjective. Best wishes, Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,592 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Possessives, Apostrophes

	LeicesterLad  +  138460 Sat, 17 Sep 05 02:26 PM Thankyou Clive! I didn't know this.  I've been writing it incorrectly all my life! It does seem a little inconsistent though.  Surely it would make sense to use the apostrophe universally to imply possesion, whatever or whoever the "possessor" eg Clives's hat London's buildings It's nest etc..... Does anyone know why "its" is different? thanks, Matt LeicesterLad Apostrophes

	Forbes  +  138485 Sat, 17 Sep 05 03:53 PM  LeicesterLad wrote: It does seem a little inconsistent though.  Surely it would make sense to use the apostrophe universally to imply possesion, whatever or whoever the "possessor" I used to think this when I was first taught about the possessive 's'. Apparently it was at one time common to write "It's nest". I suspect the difference arose to distinguish it from it's meaning it is or it has. Forbes Joined on Thu, Jun 16 2005 Regular Member 895 Possessives, Apostrophes

	pieanne  +  138494 Sat, 17 Sep 05 04:07 PM The possessive adjectives don't take the genitive " 's ". Only the nouns take it.   pieanne Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005 South of France ...But I'm Belgian! Veteran Member 7,517 I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos... Nouns, Possessives, Apostrophes, Genitives

	MrPedantic  +  138664 Sun, 18 Sep 05 12:06 AM  Forbes wrote:  LeicesterLad wrote: It does seem a little inconsistent though.  Surely it would make sense to use the apostrophe universally to imply possesion, whatever or whoever the "possessor" I used to think this when I was first taught about the possessive 's'. Apparently it was at one time common to write "It's nest". I suspect the difference arose to distinguish it from it's meaning it is or it has. Yes; its seems to have become the norm in the early 19th century. Before that, it's for the possessive pronoun was common enough. You find it's in editions of Jane Austen's works that preserve the original spelling (along with e.g. surprize, shew). MrP MrPedantic Joined on Tue, Oct 12 2004 Veteran Member 12,592 ...opella forensis / adducit febris... Nouns, Pronouns, Spelling, Possessives, Apostrophes