its vs it’s – basic mistake to avoid while writing!

Hello learners! Welcome. In this article on ‘Its vs It’s’ we are going to learn the basic mistake that we commit while using these words and also how to avoid the same. We shall also see various example sentences with ‘Its’ and ‘It’s’ so that we can remember the correct usage.

its vs it’s – Basic mistake to avoid

The confusion between the words ‘its’ and ‘it’s’ arises because of the same spelling and pronunciation these words have. One of the words is a contracted form of ‘It is’ and one is a Possessive form of the Pronoun ‘It’. The question is which is the contracted form and which is the possessive pronoun.

Another reason for the confusion is that the formation of Possessive Nouns and Possessive Pronouns. We generally form the Possessive Noun for a given noun by placing apostrophe followed by ‘s’ at the end of the noun. But remember that for Pronouns the possessive forms are not formed by placing Apostrophe followed by ‘s’ but simply by placing ‘s’ at the end of the objective case of the base pronoun.

For example, the Possessive form of the noun Book is ‘book’s’ but the possessive form of the pronoun ‘she’ is ‘hers’ but not ‘her’s’ (‘her’ is the objective case of the base pronoun ‘she’).

So, in the present comparison ‘its vs its’, the word ‘Its’ is the possessive form of the Pronoun ‘It’. And ‘It’s’ is the contracted form of ‘It is’.

A trick to remember the above usages is – whenever you see ‘it’s’, expand it to ‘it is’, and if the sentence makes sense, then the usage is correct. Otherwise, change it to ‘Its’.

Example: 

It’s raining now – if expanded to ‘it is raining now ‘- makes sense, hence the usage is correct.

It’s length is 100 meters – if expanded to ‘It is length is 100 meters’ – makes no sense, hence the usage is incorrect.

Exercise on Its vs It’s:

Find the correct sentences 

1. Its our duty to help others in need
2. The box is kept on the table. It’s yellow.
3. Its you who are to be blamed for the mistake.
4. The battery in the wall clock should be replaced as It’s capacity is over.
5. It’s hot out there. Please stay indoors.

Post your answers in the comment section below.

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