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I think it sounds a little weird. Here's an example:
I looked at the owl. With eyes as big as its, it'd definitely seen the man.
Strangely this sound OK:
I looked at the kitty. With eyes as big as hers, she'd definitely seen the man.
Is the construction with...as...as...its grammatical? Does it sound strange? If so, what's a better alternative?
Perhaps it's because its is not commonly usually used as a pronoun. In contrast, his is.
In the Oxford Dictionaries Online, his is listed as both a possessive determiner and as a stand alone possessive pronoun. However, its is only listed as a possessive determiner.
However, Collins English version also limits its to a determiner, but its American version lists both pronoun and determiner.
Several other dictionaries consulted, such as American Heritage, limit its to adjectival or determiner use, but a few do list it as a pronoun.
The other possessive pronouns differ from their possessive determiner forms:
- hers/her
- theirs/their
- mine/my
- yours/your
- ours/our
In sum, it's technically correct, but a bit off sounding because it's uncommon.
