I always thought the use of the apostrophe in the relational it’s vs possessive its was some kind of special case in English, but in fact it is quite consistent with other pronouns. I wish I had the following table when I was at school– it would have made things a lot clearer.
|
Subject
|
Object
|
Reflexive
|
Relational
|
Genitive
|
Oblique
Genitive(?) |
|
|
he
|
him
|
himself
|
he’s
|
his
|
his
|
|
|
she
|
her
|
herself
|
she’s
|
her
|
hers
|
|
|
they
|
them
|
themselves
|
they’re
|
their
|
theirs
|
|
|
it
|
it
|
itself
|
it’s
|
its
|
its
|
|
|
we
|
us
|
ourselves
|
we’re
|
our
|
ours
|
|
|
I
|
me
|
myself
|
I’m
|
my
|
mine
|
|
|
you
|
you
|
yourself
yourselves |
you’re
|
your
|
yours
|
|
|
one
|
one
|
oneself
|
one’s
|
one’s*
|
one’s*
|
|
|
who
|
whom
|
themselves
|
who’s
|
whose
|
whose
|
|
* Note the exception to the rule with the genitive one’s– although I’m not sure that one is considered a pronoun in the regular sense.
Posting this reminds me just how much I hate the popular SMS word ur. When sounded out it becomes "you are" which is bearable if that is the sense in which it is intended, as in ur gonna die! but if anything it seems that it is used more commonly in the genitive sense, as in ur death will be slow! which is such a poke in the eye for anyone who gives a rat’s arse about clarity.