While puzzling over the spelling rules of the iPhone, I accidentally ended up with the precursors of these. They are mostly correct sentences, though their meanings may be a bit obscure:
Because of the weird special rules for the possessive, it’s unlikely to be the correct spelling of its. I’ve no evidence that it’s less common than its. Twas not always the case; tis a new idea that it’s possessive case gets no apostrophe.—- Taryn, 2010—-
Searching for usage frequency of it’s and its, I got nothing, but I discovered Jack Lynch, whose online guide is almost as true and funny as Strunk’s original “The Elements of Style”. http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style.html
From http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/Writing/
“It Can Be Argued.
Aw, c’mon: anything can be argued. Don’t pad your writing with useless stuff like this, especially when it’s graceless, imprecise, and in the passive voice.”
“Taste.
As in “There’s no accounting for” (de gustibus non est disputandum). Few people want to hear it — we all crave authoritative answers — but taste is part of any discussion of language. The rules go only so far; after that, all you’ve got to guide you are preferences.
Me, personally, myself, I’d sooner go to my grave than use disconnect as a noun (“There’s a big disconnect between what he says and what he does”): I feel so dirty when I have to say it. The word lifestyle makes my teeth itch, and I’d rather gnaw my own leg off than say something like “any way, shape, or form.” (Ditto phrases like “Me, personally, myself.”)
But they’re not right or wrong, and certainly not the sort of thing that a grammar guide can settle definitively: there’s no authoritative answer. I find them ugly as sin, but your mileage may vary. They’re a matter of taste.
I, of course, am convinced I have impeccable taste; and like most people who set up linguistic soapboxes, I sometimes offer opinions on such questions. I like to think I’m rarely perverse or pedantic, and I flatter myself that I have a better ear for style than many. But take my opinions for what they’re worth: they’re one guy’s judgment on what sounds good. And on many issues, that’s all you get.”—- Jack Lynch, “Guide to Grammar and Style”—-
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