it's / its
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:20 pm
I would hope I am preaching to the choir here, but I see this every day. In Facebook statuses, in memes, in FW entries, on store signs, on flyers, posters, EVERYWHERE. I have posted this before, as recently as November 2014, and so has Jan, but let's get the message out!
Its is a possessive pronoun.
The tree shed its leaves.
The confusion is because we've been taught to add an apostrophe to make a word possessive.
tree's leaves ... Dad's car ... puppy's tail
Its is already possessive, as is yours, ours, theirs, his, and hers. No apostrophes, ever.
It's is the contraction for it is and sometimes it has.
It's been three hours since sundown. It has been three hours since sundown.
It's twelve o'clock. It is twelve o'clock.
Its is a possessive pronoun.
The tree shed its leaves.
The confusion is because we've been taught to add an apostrophe to make a word possessive.
tree's leaves ... Dad's car ... puppy's tail
Its is already possessive, as is yours, ours, theirs, his, and hers. No apostrophes, ever.
It's is the contraction for it is and sometimes it has.
It's been three hours since sundown. It has been three hours since sundown.
It's twelve o'clock. It is twelve o'clock.