It's or its?
- Thread starter jilly61
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... use its for the possessive of it: Its paws were large for a dog.
And use it's for the shortened form of it is: It's sunny out, today. (Don't I wish.)
And use it's for the shortened form of it is: It's sunny out, today. (Don't I wish.)
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Always a tricky one.
One would assume the It's is the possessive, but it isn't - It's is simply 'It is' with the missing 'i' replaced by an apostrophe.
The other one - its - is the possessive.
One would assume the It's is the possessive, but it isn't - It's is simply 'It is' with the missing 'i' replaced by an apostrophe.
The other one - its - is the possessive.
This was my signature line for a while. It's is a contraction of it is or it has. If you can't replace it's with one of those, you mean its.
See Bob the Angry Flower. I want this poster in every classroom.
Maryn, who's mastered this, if little else
See Bob the Angry Flower. I want this poster in every classroom.
Maryn, who's mastered this, if little else
Good advice on it's versus its. Its follows the rule of all possessive pronouns. None of them have apostrophes.
We wouldn't write hi's for his.
Though some try, we don't write her's, our's, your's, their's. It's always hers, ours, yours, theirs . . . and its.
We wouldn't write hi's for his.
Though some try, we don't write her's, our's, your's, their's. It's always hers, ours, yours, theirs . . . and its.
Chase, I used to phrase it something like that in critique, but since those olden days, I've met quite a few people who have no problem with her's.
Maryn, sighing
Maryn, sighing
And worse, they have problems that you have a problem with her's. Grammar gremlin! Pronoun police! Apostrophe absolutist! Can't you just once get over your limiting education? Ha ha ha ha.
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For sure your collars should be mandatory wear for sign makers in retail shops.
My girlfriend is a buyer and merchandiser for a college bookstore. Because English majors are all over any mistake in store signage, she selected her spring quarter work-study help from that department and assigned her signs.
I stopped in for coffee on the new English maid's first day and witnessed the following going up on windows and walls:
ALL HOODIE'S 30% OFF
LOOK AT OUR HAT'S
SPRING SAVING'S SLASHED TO IT'S LOWEST LOW
I didn't know whether to slink out like the coward I am or tell and be killed for delivering the message. I wrote my girlfriend a note and ran.
I can picture the sign for a new bookstore item:
GET YOUR'S HERE . . . MAD MATERA APO'STROPHLEA COLLAR'S 'SIZZLING 'SUMMER 'SALE
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I can understand why people get it's and its wrong--but I totally cannot comprehend, even imagine WHY people make it harder on themselves to pluralize words and put an apostrophe in. It just boggles the mind.
Beating a dead horse
Good one, Jilly.
This little exercise wasn't designed to embarrass students with poor punctuation skills on their first day of freshman writing class. The challenge was that students tend to resist following class and text directions.
I passed out the quiz below, saying "Do not write your name on the quiz. Responses are to be anonymous." I wrote the rule on the whiteboard with two or three examples. Of course I asked if anyone had questions. I mostly got eye-rolls.
I repeat not to write names on the quiz, even though a blank is provided.
Name _______________
The rule: place an apostrophe where a missing letter or number (or series of letters or numbers) occurs. Example: cannot = cant = can’t
The test: place apostrophes below where needed. A sentences may need two, one, or no apostrophe. Do not write your name in the blank.
1. She was a flower child of the 60s.
2. He loves rock n roll.
3. Look, its a dog chasing its tail.
4. The Smiths live on Shady Lane.
You guessed it. A quarter of new class members wrote their names in the blank.
1. Despite having the rule in hand, 75% of first day college students write 60's instead of '60s. When it’s explained the 19 is missing, they invariably say, "It just doesn’t look right." For the next class session, the assignment is to bring a major magazine to class. We search each and find instances of ‘80s and ‘90s but no 80's and 90's. The result? "It just doesn’t look right." And the error goes on in the 2000's . . . er . . . I mean the 2000s.
2. Forty percent of first day frosh will write rock ‘n roll. Twenty percent put in no apostrophe at all.
3. No surprise in this thread, 75% get it’s or its wrong. I consider it a victory that the error rate drops to 40% during the quarter.
4. Half of the class want an apostrophe before the ending s in Smiths. I think a good half of family name signs on homes in the U.S. reflect that mind set.
Good one, Jilly.
This little exercise wasn't designed to embarrass students with poor punctuation skills on their first day of freshman writing class. The challenge was that students tend to resist following class and text directions.
I passed out the quiz below, saying "Do not write your name on the quiz. Responses are to be anonymous." I wrote the rule on the whiteboard with two or three examples. Of course I asked if anyone had questions. I mostly got eye-rolls.
I repeat not to write names on the quiz, even though a blank is provided.
Name _______________
The rule: place an apostrophe where a missing letter or number (or series of letters or numbers) occurs. Example: cannot = cant = can’t
The test: place apostrophes below where needed. A sentences may need two, one, or no apostrophe. Do not write your name in the blank.
1. She was a flower child of the 60s.
2. He loves rock n roll.
3. Look, its a dog chasing its tail.
4. The Smiths live on Shady Lane.
You guessed it. A quarter of new class members wrote their names in the blank.
1. Despite having the rule in hand, 75% of first day college students write 60's instead of '60s. When it’s explained the 19 is missing, they invariably say, "It just doesn’t look right." For the next class session, the assignment is to bring a major magazine to class. We search each and find instances of ‘80s and ‘90s but no 80's and 90's. The result? "It just doesn’t look right." And the error goes on in the 2000's . . . er . . . I mean the 2000s.
2. Forty percent of first day frosh will write rock ‘n roll. Twenty percent put in no apostrophe at all.
3. No surprise in this thread, 75% get it’s or its wrong. I consider it a victory that the error rate drops to 40% during the quarter.
4. Half of the class want an apostrophe before the ending s in Smiths. I think a good half of family name signs on homes in the U.S. reflect that mind set.
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Strong Bad's Rhythm and Grammar
Ooooh If you want it to be posessive, it's just I-T-S, but if you want it to be a contraction then it's I-T-Apostrophe-S! Scalawag!
Ooooh If you want it to be posessive, it's just I-T-S, but if you want it to be a contraction then it's I-T-Apostrophe-S! Scalawag!
It's only it's, if it is.
If it isn't it is,
then it ain't it's,
its its
.If it isn't it is,
then it ain't it's,
its its
Hmmm, that might make a good Snorg tee?
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Except there's a mistake in the last line... 
Janet, another person bound by her limiting education.
Janet, another person bound by her limiting education.
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