It's vs. Its – The Grammar Exception

Some of us are grammar snobs and cringe at every error we come across (I plead guilty!). As a copywriter, you might come across many such grammarians, and take it from me, nothing pleases these grammar snobs more than coming across an it’s and its error. Why, you ask? Because then they can mercilessly attack you and totally get away with it!

Let’s try and make things a little easier in the its and it’s department with explanations and some examples:

It’s – It’s is a contraction for ‘it is’ (sometimes for ‘it has’ as well, but we can put that one aside). This is an exception to the general rule that ‘s denotes possession.

Examples:

It’s an interesting theme to build a play around.
It’s easy to remember stuff with mnemonics.

How to remember tip – Try replacing it’s with it is in a sentence. If it fits, you are good!

Its – Its denotes possession (an exception to the general norm), and can be interpreted as ‘that which belongs to him/her’.

Examples:

The dog lost its tag.
A Hill Myna is known for its ability to mimic the human voice.

How to remember tip – Try replacing its with his or her in a sentence. If it fits, you are good!

Very Important Note:

There is absolutely no such word as its’!!

Have any doubts or want to add something? Feel free to leave a comment or contact us! I did admit to being a grammar snob and another thing which makes us very happy is answering and arguing :D.

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