Its Vs. It's

louisgodwin · Dec 23, 2006

Okay, I thought I saw a thread with this title a long time ago, but I've searched this forum and cannot find it.

I thought I had this concept down, but now I can't remember when it is appropriate to use "its" or "it's."

I thought "it's" was possessive, and "its" is a contraction for "it is." But just recently I've heard the opposite is true.

Please help.

Thank you. :gone:

blacbird · Dec 23, 2006

"its" is possessive. "it's" is the contraction for "it is". Always. Yeah, it's irregular, but that's the way it's done.

caw

louisgodwin · Dec 23, 2006

Thanks, blacbird!

Wow. It feels weird knowing I've been doing it backwards my whole life.

Arkie · Dec 24, 2006

It's the dog that chased its tail.

tenpenynail · Dec 24, 2006

Agreement With Blacbird

Yeah, 'its' is the possessive form of 'it'. In the same family of 'his' and 'her'--possessive forms of pronouns.

It took me a while to get this and now that I do, I'm stickin' to it!

scarletpeaches · Dec 24, 2006

Just think of ' as replacing the missing letter.

LloydBrown · Dec 24, 2006

One of the uses of an apostrophe is to indicate missing letters, like in can't and won't. And it's.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 24, 2006

It's

Just one note. Sometimes "it's" means "it has," rather than "it is."

"It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Birol · Dec 24, 2006

Yes, but it's is still the contraction, regardless of what letters are missing.

MacAllister · Dec 24, 2006

What Tenpenynail said. The only way I ever remember it is to remember that possessive pronouns don't have apostrophes. His, Hers, Mine, Yours, Its.

And I still have to go back and fix it sometimes.

Sean D. Schaffer · Dec 24, 2006

louisgodwin said:
Okay, I thought I saw a thread with this title a long time ago, but I've searched this forum and cannot find it.

I thought I had this concept down, but now I can't remember when it is appropriate to use "its" or "it's."

I thought "it's" was possessive, and "its" is a contraction for "it is." But just recently I've heard the opposite is true.

Please help.

Thank you.

I believe the second scenario you mentioned is true. A simple way to remember it might be:

It's a rainy day today, and the sun isn't showing its face.

Something like that.

The point is, It's is a contraction, and Its is a possessive.

I hope this helps.

Del · Dec 24, 2006

The simple way to remember is grouping.

His, hers, its - no comma in any of them.

Pat~ · Dec 24, 2006

I think the easiest way to remember it is to remember that an apostrophe always takes the place of a missing letter or letters:

it's = it is or it has
its = possessive

(Like you all is written y'all not ya'll...)

Jamesaritchie · Dec 24, 2006

It's

Birol said:
Yes, but it's is still the contraction, regardless of what letters are missing.

True, but it's amazing how many forget that "It's" can also mean "It has." I forget myself every now and then.

Jaycinth · Dec 26, 2006

Thank you for starting this thread again. This is something that can be posted forty-million times and will never get old.

I always forget, and the spell/grammer functions make it harder.

CaroGirl · Dec 26, 2006

And there's no such animal as its'. There just isn't. I just arrived home from South American and Mexico where comma use on English signs is, um, eccentric, to say the least.

Birol · Dec 26, 2006

' is an apostrophe.

, is a comma.

CaroGirl · Dec 26, 2006

Birol said:
' is an apostrophe.

, is a comma.

Argh. I know that, too! Birol: You are mean and scary. I'm sure when my body adjusts to the right time zone, my mind will quickly follow suit. My apologies for the brain fart. I'm going back to sleep now.

Del · Dec 27, 2006

CaroGirl said:
Argh. I know that, too! Birol: You are mean and scary. I'm sure when my body adjusts to the right time zone, my mind will quickly follow suit. My apologies for the brain fart. I'm going back to sleep now.

Me too. Dumb slip.

Apostrophe high, comma low. Apostrophe high, comma low. :e2smack:

Maryn · Dec 27, 2006

I wish I could still order the T-shirt with this on it, but the guy no longer makes them. Not sure about the poster, but it belongs in every classroom.

Maryn, who knows this cold and still makes mistakes with it

Del · Dec 27, 2006

Maryn said:
I wish I could still order the T-shirt with this on it, but the guy no longer makes them. Not sure about the poster, but it belongs in every classroom.

Maryn, who knows this cold and still makes mistakes with it

That didn't work for me. Maybe I'm dumb but I couldn't remember until I thought of his vs. its, the no apostrophe thing.

The horse's tail. It's tail? Its tail? The apostrophe can show possession too. I needed a new strategy.

Different folks...

Now, If I could just fix that lay and lie thing.

Birol · Dec 27, 2006

CaroGirl said:
Birol: You are mean and scary.

Yes, I am! Too many people have been forgetting that lately. I guess I'm going to have to get real snarky to remind people or something.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 27, 2006

Delarege said:
That didn't work for me. Maybe I'm dumb but I couldn't remember until I thought of his vs. its, the no apostrophe thing.

The horse's tail. It's tail? Its tail? The apostrophe can show possession too. I needed a new strategy.

Different folks...

Now, If I could just fix that lay and lie thing.

The thing to remember is simply that the apostrophe is never, ever used as the possesive in "it's. The horse flicked its tail. "Its" is possesive.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 27, 2006

It's

Maryn said:
I wish I could still order the T-shirt with this on it, but the guy no longer makes them. Not sure about the poster, but it belongs in every classroom.

Maryn, who knows this cold and still makes mistakes with it

I like the shirt, but it, too, leaves out it's also = it has.

Del · Dec 27, 2006

And even it was.

It's the last time I ever used it's for its.

Its Vs. It's

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