{"id":2328,"date":"2016-12-08T12:51:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T20:51:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordcounter.net\/blog\/?p=2328"},"modified":"2016-12-12T20:50:23","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T04:50:23","slug":"its-vs-its","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordcounter.net\/blog\/2016\/12\/08\/102328_its-vs-its.html","title":{"rendered":"The Difference Between It’s and Its"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"it's<\/a><\/center>Before you begin to feel bad about not knowing when to use “it’s” as opposed to “its,” I have a confession to make. There was a time long, long ago, in a galaxy very like this one, when I didn’t know the difference either!<\/p>\n

In my defense, it is really easy to get confused. Generally speaking, you would use an apostrophe for omitted letters (e.g. when you say “what’s” instead of “what is”) as well as for possessives<\/a> (“John’s” meaning that something belongs to John). To make it even more confusing, you could say “John’s in the backyard,” and that would be an abbreviation of “John is.” Both the possessive form and the contraction get the apostrophe.<\/p>\n

But<\/a> there is a special rule that applies to the word “it.” Sometimes, you’d use the apostrophe and that would be correct, and other times, it would be derisively referred to as a “grocers’ apostrophe.”<\/p>\n

What’s a Grocer’s Apostrophe?<\/h2>\n

A grocers’ apostrophe is an apostrophe that is used in the wrong place. Have you ever seen signage bearing the information “Banana’s on special today?” That’s a genuine grocer’s apostrophe in action. As you probably know, the plural of “banana” is “bananas.” No apostrophe is needed. You could say “The banana’s skin was yellow,” because you are now using the possessive form. The skin belonging to the banana was yellow.<\/p>\n

Just as you may feel a little superior when you see that “banana’s” are on special, so teachers and other nit-picky people like bosses and… well… me… would smirk when they see an “it’s” instead of an “its.” Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of which one to use in what circumstances. It’s actually quite logical. If you remember one important fact, you’ll never get it wrong again.<\/p>\n

Only Use the Apostrophe for the Contraction<\/h2>\n

You only use the apostrophe for the contraction of “it is” and sometimes, “it has.” Can you remember this? Then you’re good to go already. In contractions, letters are omitted, and we indicate the missing letter with an apostrophe. Examples of contractions include:<\/p>\n