IT'S vs. ITS

Okay Kids,

It’s gotta be said. One of my biggest pet peeves is typos. Silly, grammatical ones.

The title of this blog? IT’S vs. ITS? I’ve seen it spelt wrong so many times, it makes me wince.

I actually expect it to be spelt wrong, so when I come across it, I read it reeeeeeaaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyyy slowly, wondering which use of “its/it’s” it’s going to be.

For some reason, almost everyone thinks the default spelling is “it’s”. That’s right, throw in an apostrophe for good measure. When in doubt…

But why be in doubt? Why not know for sure?

It’s going to rain today.

It’s going to be a long day.

It’s just a matter of time.

After you’ve written your essay, check all of its component parts.

Its wheel came off rather suddenly.

The building and its windows need a makeover.

Simple, right?

Everyone was taught in grade school (or should have been, or maybe you still are in grade school) that “it’s” is a contraction for “it is”.

It is snowing. It’s snowing.

It is a lot like the book. It’s a lot like the book.

So when you’re writing or reading, you can always double-check by saying to yourself: Can I say “it is” in this case?

It’s lost. It is lost? Yes, that works.

It’s mine. It is mine? Yup, works too.

It’s handle is loose. It is handle is loose? Nope.

So then you go back and correct it to “Its handle is loose".

See? So simple!

Here are some for you to choose between.

It’s/Its slippery outside.

It’s/Its bells are rusty.

It’s/Its leaves are turning yellow.

It’s/Its a bit like Christmas.

It’s/Its not your turn.

It’s/Its motor is broken.

It’s/Its a motor.

It’s/Its cranky.

I’m so proud of you! You’ll never make this mistake ever again!

Write me in the comments and let me know if any of these examples tripped you up.

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Was that a cackle I heard? Do I smell pumpkin pie? Was that a spider scuttling across the ceiling?

Coming oh-so-soon: Falling Into Fall – a 12-lesson, themed bundle about autumn. Look for it!