Always confusing its and it’s? Don’t despair! After reading this post, you will know which one to use.
One of the most common mistakes when writing in English, committed not only by language learners but also by many native speakers, is the confusion between It’s and Its. This confusion is understandable to some extent: they share the same sound |ɪts| and their written form is quite similar. In this article, we will tell you how to make sure you are always using the right one.
Different natures, different functions
It’s
It’s is a contraction (a way of writing the same in a shortened version) of “it is” or “it has” that tends to be used in oral communication and informal writing.
Its
Its is a possessive determiner corresponding to the pronoun it. It is used before a noun and indicates that that noun belongs to the it that it is making reference to.
When to use them
Use its when:
- You want to express possession or belonging.
- I like your computer. Its screen is really good.
Use it’s when you can substitute it with it is, or it has.
-
- It’s = it is
- I read that book last year. It’s really good. = I read that book last year. It is really good.
- it’s = it has
- It’s been a long time since last time we met! = It has been a long time since last time we met.
- It’s = it is
Some examples:
I think it’s time to abandon this project because its costs are too high.
The dog wagged its tail.
It’s been hard to spend years away from Taiwan and its delicious food.
It’s to be expected that you understand this word and its usage.
I really like this product. Its features are the reason I think it’s far better than its competitors.
My computer is not working. It’s probably because its battery is defective.
When you create a web page, you must pay attention to the number of its visitors.
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