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its
pronoun as in a possessive form used as an attributive adjective
Example Sentences
Many people have already written off ‘American Idol’ as a past-its-prime reality TV corpse.
The late-in-its-run success of Breaking Bad is the perfect example of that.
One young woman had affixed Post-its to the wall reading “Welcome Home Annie!”
Over dessert, we look through the Post-Its full of squiggly pictures.
When Demi Moore was hospitalized last year, friends told TMZ she had seizure-like symptoms brought on by doing whip-its.
Jack probably learned more about the Bible during that trip-its history and its heroes-than during all his former years.
The world had nothing more to give him now except that which he had already long possessed-its honor and its love.
Didn't Wolfe say that he would rather have written what's-its-name than taken Quebec?
My heart just sank like a lump of what's-its-name, but my whole soul went out in sympathy for her.
Then Billings, who was already gasping like a jolly what's-its-name, dropped upon the arm of the chair and held his side.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is another word for its?
Its (not to be confused with it’s, a contraction of it is) is the possessive form of the pronoun it.
The pronoun it is commonly used to refer to something without naming it. The plural pronoun they (possessive forms their and theirs) can be used to refer to multiple things in this way, as can the object form them.
There aren’t synonyms for its in the same way that big is a synonym of large. But there are ways that you can say the same thing without using its.
One main way is to use the word that it is replacing.
For example, instead of saying The car has a dent on its hood, you could say There is a dent on the car’s hood.
You could also use the word of to show possession, as in There is a dent on the hood of the car.
Most commonly, the word it is used to refer to things. It is sometimes also used to refer to an animal. In some cases, it can refer to an unknown person, such as when someone knocks on the door and you ask “Who is it?”
Sometimes, it’s used to refer to a group of people, as in The judge told the jury it must decide two issues. The possessive form can be used for this sense, as in The judge asked the jury for its verdict. Because its refers to people in this case, it is more common to use their (the possessive form of they), as in The judge asked the jury for their verdict. (Note: Referring to a person as it for any other reason is extremely offensive.)
One other somewhat less common use of its is in constructions like this: I’m sorry about its being so late. In these cases, it’s very common to replace its with it: I’m sorry about it being so late. Or you could reword the sentence to use it’s: I’m sorry it’s so late.
Is its a pronoun?
Yes, its is a pronoun. It is the possessive form of the pronoun it. The plural subject form of it is they, whose possessive forms are their and theirs.
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
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