Grammar Helper: Its vs It’s
This is part of the series:
- Grammar Helper
- Grammar Helper: Ensure, Assure, Insure
- Grammar Helper: There, Their, They're
- Grammar Helper: Appraise vs. Apprise
- Grammar Helper: Idea vs. Ideal
- Grammar Helper: Commas in a series
- Grammar Helper: Who and Whom (simple version)
- Grammar Helper: I vs. Me
- Writing Help: Who's vs. Whose
- Writing Helper: Just Thinking to Myself
- Writing Helper: Poor and Pour, Then and Than
- Grammar Helper: Its vs It's
- Writing Helper: Breath vs. Breathe, Bath vs. Bathe
- Cite, sight and site
- Writing Helper: Stationary vs. Stationery
- Writing Helper: Lose vs. Loose
- Avoiding the Passive Voice
- Possessive vs. Plural: Getting it Right
- Writing Helper: A lot
- Writing Helper: Bath vs Bathe
- Writing Helper: Choose vs Chose
- Writing Helper: Idea vs. Ideal
I see these two words confused all the time, even though they’re very easy to get right.
It’s is a contraction for “it is” or even “it has.”
- It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. (It has…)
- It’s a mistake to buy that property. (It is…)
Its is a pronoun that means something “belongs to it.”
- I wouldn’t buy that car; its paint job is awful.
- The dog hurt its foot on its walk last night.
If you’re unsure, simply substitute “it is” or “it has” in the sentence to see which version of its/it’s you have. If the substitution works, then you want the version, it’s. If not, then you want its.
It’s simple, right?
| 2.5 |
January 27th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
[…] Who’s vs. WhoseWriting Helper: Just Thinking to MyselfWriting Helper: Poor and Pour, Then and ThanGrammar Helper: Its vs It’sWriting Helper: Breath vs. Breathe, Bath vs. BatheCite, sight and siteWriting Helper: Stationary vs. […]