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Is it its or it's? - Australian spelling
Quite amazingly I still see many quite educated people using its and it's in reverse.
For those struggling with when to use which version, the memory aid I now use is to ask the question,
if "it is" or "it has" can be used instead, then the word to use is it's with the apostrophe.
Otherwise, it is its.
This almost feels like one of those old jokes. It is it's if it is...
I wonder why so many of us get this one wrong.
The following is some additional information from an an editor friend Renee Barber.
Hi Kelvin
I have to say this is probably my BIGGEST pet peeve. How hard is it to get this right?
Well, apparently it is difficult as people often don't get it (or for that matter, its or it's) right.
If people would remember that the apostrophe is used to indicate possession / ownership or as a way to show missing letters, I think it would be much easier ...
Contraction
It's = It is or It has ... The apostrophe stands for the missing i and ha respectively.
Possessive
Its is the version that applies to possession. Let's try an example.
The cat moved its tail. (CORRECT)
vs.
The cat moved it's tail. (INCORRECT)
Why?
Expand the it's in the second example and the sentence becomes: The cat moved it is / has tail.
Uhm, that sounds a little weird to me, but then again I just typed tale instead of tail so what do I know!
In any case, I hope this helps clear up a bit of the confusion. As with anything else,
if you know your Achilles heel, just check yourself.
After you practice a bit, it will become second nature.
Before I depart for grammar worlds (and words) unknown, here are a couple of web sites that I found interesting ...
This one is basically a cat fight about this very same discussion: https://forums.appleinsider.com/archive/index.php/t-54612.html.
The second site is fabulous too for different reasons. I love words and if these etymological forays are true,
it's just great as it shows the evolution of meaning and usage that characterises our wily English language: https://www.drgrammar.org/faqs/#10.
Regards
Renée who really hopes all of this information is accurate or she's in big trouble with the Grammar Police!
_________________
Renée Barber
Rising Star Designs & Communication
'big solutions for small businesses'
Web: www.risingstardesigns.com.au
24/12/2010
On thinking about this what I think confused many people is we are used to using an apostrophe
to indicate possession. Such as "the cat's tail".
When using pronoun such as it and your it is natural to add apostrophe s to the end of it or your to
indicate possession, but this isn't right. The apostrophe in this case isn't required.
For example "the ball is yours" or "the cat bit its tail".
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