Dina Friedman's Monthly Writing Advice
Vol. 2 # 1, July 2002 - Its vs. It's
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CONTENTS
* This Month's Tip: Its vs. It's
* New at FrugalFun.com & FrugalMarketing.com
* Subscriber Discounts on Shel's Books
* About This Tipsheet (with sub/unsub/archive info)
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THIS MONTH'S TIP: Its vs. It's
Dear Dina,
Could you please, once and for all, clarify the difference between
"its" and "it's". Of what use are these darn apostrophes anyway?
Signed,
Speaking Simply
Dear Speaking Simply,
Apostrophes have two purposes. The first is to show possession:
Jane's book, the store's annual sale, etc. The second purpose is to
show one or more missing letters in a contraction: I can't do that
(cannot), She's going to the store (She is).
"It's" with an apostrophe stands for "it is." "Its" without the
apostrophe means belonging to someone or thing, in other words, a
possessive. You might rationalize from the above, that you would need
an apostrophe in a possessive sentence-for example, "The dog shed its
hair all over my new carpet." But the reason that you don't use the
apostrophe is because "its" is a possessive pronoun, like hers, his,
yours and theirs, none of which take an apostrophe. So there is some
method to this madness, and yes, differentiating between "its" and
"it's" can easily drive one mad.
The fool-proof test. You can check on whether you need apostrophe by
substituting the words "it is" in place of "its". If the sentence
still makes sense, then add the apostrophe. Otherwise, leave well
enough alone.
Good luck,
Dina
_________________
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___________________________
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__________________________
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_____________________________
A monthly tip covering writing technique, grammar, creativity, or overcoming writer's block
Visit https://www.AccurateWriting.com
Dina Friedman, M.S.W., has worked with
individuals and groups on issues for thirteen years. A
published fiction writer, poet, playwright, and journalist
and winner of several awards and honors, she coordinates
academic writing workshops for Mount Holyoke College. She
has taught rhetoric, English Comp, and creative writing at
the University of Massachusetts, Holyoke Community College,
and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
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