I simply can’t stand it any longer, friends. I’ve held my tongue for far too long, but it’s time I speak out on a very controversial subject. Yes, it is time to don my Grammar Police badge and once again educate the masses. Today’s (free) grammar lesson is on that age-old sticky conundrum of “its” vs. “it’s.”
It’s (with apostrophe)
This should be easy, folks. “It’s” with an apostrophe is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” That’s it. No contraction, no apostrophe. Ever.
Examples:
- It’s a Wonderful Life. (it is)
- It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. (it is)
- What a long, strange trip it’s been. (it has)
Its (no apostrophe)
“Its” with no apostrophe is a possessive form of the pronoun “it.” If you can’t substitute “it is” or “it has,” then you have a pronoun and you should ditch the apostrophe. PLEASE. Pretty please? It makes me twitch to see “it’s” used incorrectly here. And I really hate to twitch. It’s not attractive.
Examples:
- Don’t judge a book by its cover. (not it’s)
(possessive pronoun: the cover belongs to the book) - Every rose has its thorn. (not it’s)
(possessive pronoun: the thorn belongs to the rose)
Let’s try replacing “its” here with another possessive pronoun, “her.” It may sound weird to the ear to assign a gender to the book or the rose, but “Every rose has her thorn,” makes more grammatical sense than “Every rose has it is thorn,” doesn’t it? That’s a reinforcing clue that you need a possessive pronoun here, not a contraction.
Contrast that with trying to replace its/it’s in one of the earlier examples: “Her a beautiful day in the neighborhood” sounds totally nonsensical! “It’s,” the contraction for “it is,” is the way to go.
Noun vs. pronoun confusion
I can understand your confusion with “its” vs. “it’s,” though, really I can. Our English grammar rules dictate that possessive nouns end with ’s.
Examples: the pastor’s sermon, Mary’s dream, Roger’s book, the book’s cover.
But the trouble with the possessive “its” that confounds so many is that “it” is not a noun, it’s a pronoun. And possessive pronouns (my, your, our, their, his, her, their, its), unlike nouns, never end in ’s.
Examples: my insomnia, your talent, our song, her dream, their car, his book, its cover.
There you have it. If you can substitute “it is” or “it has,” congratulations! You have an contraction. Contraction=apostrophe (it’s). Anything else=no apostrophe (its). No exceptions. Simple, right?
And by the way, here’s a bonus tip. Its’ (with apostrophe after the s) is NEVER correct. You’re welcome.
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