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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > need some help
need some help
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etibenben
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need some help
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what is the correct answer
Ben has a big dog. his tail is long.
OR
Ben has a big dog. its tail is long.
can you explain why please?
thank you!! |
26 Dec 2010
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hakimel
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Ben has a big dog.Its tail is long.
We use "his,her" for persons and "its" for animals and things. e.g.The house is nice.Its price is......
Sometimes we use "he,she,his,her" about animals when we have them at home and are considered as a member of the family. |
26 Dec 2010
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MoodyMoody
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You can use either pronoun here, assuming that the dog is male. His tail is long means that you know the dog is male. Its tail is long means that you don �t know or don �t care. Its is less personal. If the dog is a bitch (in the original sense), you could say, "Her tail is long."
You do either need to start the sentence with a capital letter or use a semicolon instead of the first period, however. Strictly speaking, that means neither is correct! |
26 Dec 2010
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tgce
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each of them could be true, but in this sentence 2nd is true. Because we don �t know the gender of the dog. ıf we knew it, we could say HIS tail is long.. i hope i help you :) |
26 Dec 2010
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Lina Ladybird
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Use "its" when you don �t know whether the dog is male or female. If you know that the dog is female, say "her". If it has a male name, use "his". As simple as that...  |
26 Dec 2010
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libertybelle
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When speaking about your almost-human-much-beloved pet, people often say he or she because it is much more personal. (where its is much more impersonal)
My kitty is so sweet, he always jumps onto my favorite chair.
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26 Dec 2010
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