His vs Its - What's the difference?
his | its |
Belonging to him.
* 1596 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , IV.i:
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=4
, passage=No matter how early I came down, I would find him on the veranda, smoking cigarettes, or otherwise his' man would be there with a message to say that ' his master would shortly join me if I would kindly wait.}}
* 2011 , Xan Rice, The Guardian , 8 Apr 2011:
(obsolete) Its; belonging to it. (Now only when implying personification.)
*, II.2:
* 1611 , Matthew 5:13, King James Version:
(archaic) Used as a genitive marker in place of ’s'' after a noun, especially a masculine noun ending in ''-s , to express the possessive case.
That which belongs to him; the possessive case of he, used without a following noun.
Belonging to it.
*, I.43:
* 1751 , G. Burnett, trans. Thomas More, Utopia :
* 1813 , Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice :
* 1989 , Jasper Becker and John Gittings, The Guardian , 5 Jun 1989:
The one (or ones) belonging to it.
* 1645 , Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton,
* 2007 — Ian Austen,
* 1917 — Charles Henry Taylor,
As a noun his
is b sharp.As an initialism its is
(computing).his
English
(wikipedia his)Determiner
- With that he put his spurres vnto his steed, / With speare in rest, and toward him did fare, / Like shaft out of a bow preuenting speed.
- In his first televised address since the siege in Abidjan began this week, Ouattara said he would focus on returning the country to normal to ease the plight of civilians.
- My stomacke could not well reach so farre: it is very much troubled to come to an end of that which it takes for his need.
- Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
- Ahab his mark'' for ''Ahab's mark .
Usage notes
* When followed by a noun, it is sometimes referred to as a possessive adjective , qualifying the following noun. It is, however, the possessive case of the personal pronoun he.See also
(English personal pronouns)Pronoun
- The decision was his to live with.
See also
* he * her * hers * him * hisnStatistics
*its
English
(wikipedia its)Alternative forms
* it'sDeterminer
- The manner wherewith our Lawes assay to moderate the foolish and vaine expences of table-cheare and apparell, seemeth contrarie to it's end.
- since I have been at the Pains to write it, if he consents to it's being published I will follow my Friend's Advice, and chiefly yours.
- They descended the hill, crossed the bridge, and drove to the door; and, while examining the nearer aspect of the house, all her apprehensions of meeting its owner returned.
- The Chinese government is at war with its own people.
Pronoun
Letter to Ferdinando Fairfax, 6 February 1645:
- [...] both Houses have resolved to rob the North of a good friend of its and yours.
"Canadian Court Opens Up eBay Data to Tax Agency", New York Times , October 1, 2007:
- EBay Canada argued in court that the data sought by tax collectors was [sic ] not its to give.
History of the Board of Trade of the City of Chicago Vol.2 p.1259:
- ...the Board of Trade of Chicago can at least feel that it has played its part manfully and patriotically, and that no act of its has stood in the way of National victory.