What about this??

[bianca]

I read about the pronoun "Its" whereas, it says that we use "its" to represent a PERSON or animal understood, previously mentioned, or about to be mentioned whose gender is unknown or disregarded .

/Examples:
1. The horse had its saddle on (Dictionary.com)
2. A child proud of its first drawings (from Merriam Webster dictionary)

Now, is it CORRECT to say, "The student was able to speak ITS mind clearly"????

So,...What aboutthe FUNCTION of "ITS" in this sentence ??

According to David Crystal, British linguist, the appropriate way to say - at least in writing - is "they", "their", "them" as a sexless singular pronoun when not knowing whether it is a he or a she. Like in: Who has lost their meal? Many go round this issue by writing his/her, or somehow skipping it altogether. I also admit that "their" sounds awkward, but I have grown accustomed to it and I find it Ok now. I wish I could give you some references, I'll look up smth for you.

[Casiopea]

Now, is it CORRECT to say, "The student was able to speak ITS mind clearly"?

If that were on an assignment or in a letter, I would correct it: speak her mind or speak his mind. The sentence in question is about a known student; the teacher should know the student's gender, right?

Its is reserved for things, or humans that are viewed as things; e.g., from the Victorian Age, a child should know its place in society.