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Most people know that the short version of it is is spelled it’s. After all, an apostrophe replaces a missing letter, which in this case is the i in is. And we know how to spell he’s and she’s. So we write, “It’s going to rain,” not “Its going to rain,” unless we’re typing too fast and leave out the apostrophe accidentally.
But misspelling the possessive form of it is a little more common. So, when writing about something which belongs to someone or something, which is it: it’s or its?
Well, the answer is its, as in “He put on the raincoat and fastened its snaps.” The possessive form of it has no apostrophe.
You can just memorize that and get used to it, but to help you remember, you could keep in mind that other possessive adjectives, such as his and her, do not have apostrophes either.
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What a good way to remember the possessive has no apostrophe, comparing to “his” and “hers”! I wish my English teachers had taught me that. It would have been very helpful.
Nice and neat explanations
As a teacher, I think that the it’s, its problem is the most commonly encountered mistake in English expression.
I tell the kids that it’s so easy. It’s not rocket science! Just remember that it’s with an apostrophe can ONLY mean it is, or occasionally it has, and for all other applications the apostrophe is not required.
This eliminates the those horrible constructions like ‘The dog hurt it’s paw’. If you read it as ‘The dog hurt it is paw’, it’s obviously wrong.
So, how does a teacher not include the punctuation within the quote at the end of a sentence?
Our public education at “it’s” best!
It’s obviously wrong…
didn’t know about this, now i’m using its instead of it’s
This mistake, though common, is a sign of a person’s level of education.
This person will also have trouble with the correct useage of there, their, and they’re…