language note: Its is a third person singular possessive determiner.
determiner
You use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a thing, place, or animal that has just beenmentioned or whose identity is known. You can use its to indicate that something belongs or relates to a child or baby.
The British Labor Party concludes its annual conference today in Brighton.
...Japan, with its extreme housing shortage.
The dog lifted its head, listening.
English Easy Learning GrammarNoun phrases with several determinersMost noun phrases contain only one determiner or none at all, but if there are more,they follow a definite order. Determiners can be divided into four ... Read more
English Easy Learning GrammarPossessivesPossessives are used to specify the ownership of an item, or, if the noun refers tosomething animate, to specify a relationship. That is my car. Mr Smith ... Read more
it's
(ɪts)
1.
It's is the usual spoken form of 'it is'.
It's the best news I've heard in a long time.
2.
It's is the usual spoken form of 'it has', especially when 'has' is an auxiliary verb.
It's been such a long time since I played.
its in British English
(ɪts)
determiner
a.
of, belonging to, or associated in some way with it
its left rear wheel
b.
(as pronoun)
each town claims its is the best
it's in British English
(ɪts)
contraction of
it is or it has
▶ USAGE One of the commonest mistakes made in written English is the confusion of its and it's. You can see examples of this every day in books, magazines, and newspapers: its good for us; a smart case with it's own mirror, and even Cheng, and its' subsidiaries. Its refers to something belonging to or relating to a thing that has already been mentioned:the baby threw its rattle out of the pram. It's is a shortened way of saying it is or it has (the apostrophe indicates that a letter has been omitted: it's a lovely day; it's been a great weekend.
it's in American English
(ɪts)
1.
it is
2.
it has
its in American English
(ɪts)
pronoun
1.
that or those belonging to it: the possessive form of it1, used without a following noun
possessive pronominal adjective
2.
of, belonging to, made by, or done by it
Word origin
Early ModE analogical formation < it + ʼs; written it's until early 19th c.: the ME & OE form was his
Examples of 'its' in a sentence
its
Each is headed by its own president whose headquarters are within his territory.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
There is no end to its powers ).
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
AN austere biscuit whose popularity exceeds its taste.
The Sun (2011)
But that is fair exchange for a world leader in its niche whose profits should grow by 20 per cent this year.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
There can be few poems whose language is so at odds with its message, whose form runs so aggressively counter to its content.
The Times Literary Supplement (2012)
In other languages
its
British English: its /ɪts/ DETERMINER
You use its to say that something belongs to a thing or an animal.
You use it to refer to an object, animal, or other thing that has already been mentioned .
Inuit
The Inuit are a race of people descended from the original people of Eastern Canada and Greenland.
in its train
If something brings problems or difficulties in its train , the problems or difficulties occur as a natural or logical result of it.
by its nature
If you say that something has a particular characteristic by its nature or by its very nature , you mean that things of that type always have that characteristic.
have its uses
If you say that being something or knowing someone has its uses , you mean that it makes it possible for you to do what you otherwise would not be able to do.
on its merits
on the intrinsic qualities or virtues
run its course
to develop gradually and come to a natural end
take its toll
If you say that something takes its toll or takes a heavy toll , you mean that it has a bad effect or causes a lot of suffering .
Post-it
small pieces of colored paper in a pad , each piece backed with a weak adhesive , suitable for attachment of notes to documents , which can be easily removed
has had its day
If you say that something has had its day , you mean that the period during which it was most successful or popular has now passed .
in its entirety
as a whole ; completely
on its last legs
no longer as useful , successful , or strong as before, and about to fail altogether
set on its ear
to cause excitement , upheaval , etc. in
bring to its knees
If a country or organization is brought to its knees , it is almost completely destroyed by someone or something.
of its own accord
If something happens of its own accord , it seems to happen by itself, without anyone making it happen.
tell its own tale
to be self-evident
finds its/their way
If something finds its way somewhere , it comes to that place, especially by chance .
to cast a/its spell
If something or someone casts their spell on you or casts a spell on you, you are fascinated or charmed by them.
on one's feet
standing up
come into one's/its own
If someone or something comes into their own , they become very successful or start to perform very well because the circumstances are right .
every dog has its day
said to mean that everyone will be successful or lucky at some time in their life. This expression is sometimes used to encourage someone at a time when they are not having any success or luck.
give a horse its head
to allow a horse to gallop by lengthening the reins
in a class of its own
unequalled ; unparalleled
something earns its keep
said to mean that something is good value and justifies the amount of money that it costs or the space that it takes up
something rears its head
said to mean that something bad starts to appear or be active
to rear its ugly head rear its head
If something unpleasant rears its head or rears its ugly head , it becomes visible or noticeable .
cop
A cop is a police officer.
copped
a police officer
copping
a police officer
grumphie
a pig
pig
A pig is a pink or black animal with short legs and not much hair on its skin. Pigs are often kept on farms for their meat, which is called pork, ham , bacon , or gammon .
pigged
any artiodactyl mammal of the African and Eurasian family Suidae, esp Sus scrofa ( domestic pig ), typically having a long head with a movable snout , a thick bristle-covered skin, and, in wild species, long curved tusks
pigging
any artiodactyl mammal of the African and Eurasian family Suidae, esp Sus scrofa ( domestic pig ), typically having a long head with a movable snout , a thick bristle-covered skin, and, in wild species, long curved tusks
pig it
any artiodactyl mammal of the African and Eurasian family Suidae, esp Sus scrofa ( domestic pig ), typically having a long head with a movable snout , a thick bristle-covered skin, and, in wild species, long curved tusks
after one's (or its) kind
in agreement with one's (or its) nature
beard the lion in its den
to confront or attack someone, esp. a powerful or feared person, in that person's own familiar surroundings
bring something to its knees
to cause a country or organization to be in an extremely weak condition
do one's (or its) business
to defecate
put sth out of its misery
If you put an animal out of its misery , you kill it because it is sick or injured and cannot be cured or healed .
something tells its own tale
said to mean that something reveals the truth about a particular situation
stop something in its tracks
to make something, such as a process or an activity, immediately stop continuing or developing
turn something on its head
to use the same facts of an argument or theory to produce a different or opposite conclusion
find one's level
to find one's most suitable place socially, professionally, etc
slum
A slum is an area of a city where living conditions are very bad and where the houses are in bad condition.
slum dwelling
a squalid overcrowded house, etc
slummed
a squalid overcrowded house, etc
to run its course take its course
If something runs its course or takes its course , it develops naturally and comes to a natural end.
stop sth (dead) in its tracks
If someone or something stops a process or activity in its tracks , or if it stops dead in its tracks , they prevent the process or activity from continuing .
to rear/raise its ugly head
If you say that something unpleasant or embarrassing rears its ugly head or raises its ugly head , you mean that it occurs, often after not occurring for some time.
a leopard cannot change its spots
If you say that a leopard cannot change its spots , you mean that people or things are not able to change their basic characteristics, especially when you are critical of those characteristics.
Chinese translation of 'its'
its
(ɪts)
adj
(of animal) 它的 (tā de)
⇒ The horse lifted its head.马抬起头来。 (Mǎ táiqǐ tóu lái.)
(of baby) 他/她的 (tā/tā de)
⇒ The baby was sucking its thumb.宝宝吮着大拇指。 (Bǎobao shǔnzhe dàmǔzhǐ.)
请勿将 its 和 it's 混淆。its 意为 "它的"。it's 是 it is 或者 it has 的缩略形式。 The dog wagged its tail ... It's hot in here ... It's stopped raining.
it's
(ɪts)
(= it is, it has)
see usage note
its
All related terms of 'its'
at its height, ...
在鼎盛时(時)期， ... zài dǐngshèng shíqī, ...
for its own sake
纯(純)粹为(為)此而已 chúncuì wèi cǐ éryǐ
in its heyday, ...
在最兴(興)旺发(發)达(達)的时(時)候， ... zài zuì xīngwàng fādá de shíhou, ...
( pretence ) 这(這)(只)是做做样(樣)子 zhè (zhǐ) shì zuòzùo yàngzi ⇒ His anger was real. It wasn't an act. → 他真的生气了，并不是做做样子。 Tā zhēnde shēngqì le, bìng bùshì zuòzuò yàngzi.