On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 17:07:20 +0100 Steve Naïve wrote:
} Matthew Malthouse wrote in
} :
}
} On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 06:25:06 +0100 Ronnie Clark wrote:
} }
} } The use of its' (sic) is incorrect. Even "it's" would be incorrect
} in this } case as for some bizarre reason which no one has ever
} explained, "its", in } possessive pronoun form (ie, the dog wags its
} tail) has no apostrophe.
}
} Neither his nor hers has an apostrophe. Yours doesn't and mine
} doesn't. While theirs too has a conspicuous absence of them.
}
} You missed 'whose' and 'ours' as well.

Ours, and the others mentioned, are (absolute) posessive pronouns.

Whose, along with that, what, which, who and whom, are relative
pronouns.

The man whose post that was - relative
Was that your post - posessive.

} Perhaps the 'odd one out' isn't 'its' but 'one' (the genitive situation
} being one's). Or maybe 'one' isn't really a pronoun?

Its is an odd one.

That is my book that book is mine - posessive and absolute
possive bot correct in
usage.
That is its tail that tail is its - Technically correct the
latter construnction is not
good usage.

You're right. "one" is odd too. Sometimes it's a pronoun (the
impersonal pronoun) and sometimes it's not. There wouldn't be a
problem if we'd retained the habit of using the corresponding part of a
persona pronoun when one required a possessive, reflexive or deputy
pronoun:
One does not like to have his [or their] word doubted.
UK usage had mostly and US usage increasingly replaceed this with
One does not like to have one's...
the invention of a possessive and the form of that invention being
apostrophised are modern aberations.

Oh hell. Which idot got me started on this....

Matthew
--

http://www.calmeilles.co.uk/