JS Tip 559: Its and It’s

If there were an “FBI Ten Most-wanted List” for punctuation problems, its and it’s would probably be number one or number two.

Repeated violations. 

Repeated violations.  

It’s—with the apostrophe—is always, always, always a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” It’s never a possessive.

Its—without the apostrophe—is possessive.  

So how can you tell the difference?

Play a substitution game. Substitute “it is” or “it has” for it’s. If the substitution works, the apostrophe works. If the substitution doesn’t work, the apostrophe doesn’t work. 

Example: “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” 

Substitute “It is”: “It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.” Yup. That works. 

Example: “Hold the tauntaun while I jump on it’s back.” 

Substitute “it is”: “Hold the tauntaun while I jump on it is back.” What? Nope. Doesn’t work. Adjust accordingly: “Hold the tauntaun while I jump on its back.”  

But what about the argument that apostrophes indicate possession? “Amie’s quilt”? “The plaintiff’s testimony”? Sure. Usually. But not always. We say “his,” not “hi’s” or “he’s.” English isn't a logical language, but that’s another discussion. 

If you have questions, comments, or arguments, let us know. We love this stuff.

Yup.