Misused Words: It’s or Its
Posted on August 7, 2017
As part of our Writing Tips series, we’re going to add a new aspect today and begin a discussion of words that writers and authors often use improperly. Some of these posts will seem obvious to you, especially if you’re a native English speaker.
But English is a language full of idioms and idiosyncracies that give non-English speakers a challenge. You might find a reminder or two you’ve long forgotten since your days of Grammar 101 in High School. So let’s get started.
Using It’s (with the apostrophe)
Johnny Cash was a famous American singer-songwriter in the 50’s. One of his signature songs was Folsom Prison Blues. The first few lines went like this:
I hear the train a comin’
It’s rolling round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when,
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on . . .
The first word of his second line is our topic today: it’s versus its. When do you use each?
“I hear the train a comin’, it’s rolling round the bend.”
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.”
“It’s been a long and tiring day.”
The word it’s (with the apostrophe) is used to show a contraction of two words, either “it is” or “it has.”
- it is — “It is raining outside” is shortened to “It’s raining outside.”
- it has — “It has been a long day” is shortened to “It’s been a long day.”
So it combined with is or has becomes it’s. A good way to self-test whether you’re using it properly is to ask the question: can I substitute “it is” in place of “it’s” in my sentence and will it still read right?
- The train is comin’ . . . “it is” rolling round the bend — Yep. That sounds right and makes sense.
- “It is” beginning to look a lot like Christmas — Yes, again. Makes sense.
Using Its (without the Apostrophe)
So then what about “its?” Here are some examples:
- The company hopes to increase its sales.
- The dog licked its paw.
- The post office locked its door.
The word “its” (without the apostrophe) is used to show belonging or connectedness to a thing. In the above examples, its sales is about the company, its paw is about the dog, and its door is about the post office.
If you were to try the “it is” test above, none of these would make sense. Let’s try just for kicks:
- The company hopes to increase it is sales. That’s just nonsense.
- The dog licked it is paw. Nonsense again.
- The post office locked it is door. People would think you’re crazy if you talked that way.
So there you have it. Use it’s when you can substitute it is in the sentence and it still makes sense. Use its when you are describing something belonging to or related to a thing.
Ah, the wonders of the English language.