by Heather Wardell
Every dog has it’s day.
Its beginning to snow.
www.inkthinkerblog.com — Many people confuse “its” and “it’s.” How can you be sure you’re using the right one? This is one of the most common grammatical errors, and one of the easiest to fix.
“It’s” is a contraction made up of the word “it” and the word “is” or “has.” If you can read something as “it is” or “it has”, then “it’s” is the right way to go. If not, if you want to say that something belongs to “it,” then “its” is correct.
Let’s look at the first two sentences of this article. “Every dog has it is day.” No, that wouldn’t make sense, so the sentence should read, “Every dog has its day.”
Similarly, you could say, “It is beginning to snow,” so that sentence should be, “It’s beginning to snow.”
Give these sentences a try!
I put the cereal back into _____ cupboard.
Nigel hates this weather – _____ so cold!
______ been lovely seeing you.
Keep the rule firmly in mind – “it’s” means “it is” – and you’ll never confuse “it’s” and “its” again!
(Answers: I put the cereal back into *its* cupboard. Nigel hates this weather – *it’s* so cold! *It’s* [it has] been lovely seeing you.)
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Heather Wardell is a freelance writer specializing in technology, and is obsessed with good grammar. Her eBook, “Simple HTML,” will be available soon. Visit www.heatherwardell.com for more information on Heather and her work.
Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.
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