Monday 5 December 2011

Possession Is Nine-Tenths of the Law: Apostrophes, It’s, and Its

People who speak English as a second language often confuse the use of words that sound similar, and this also commonly occurs in those for whom English is their native language. Sometimes it can be just a matter of having the differences pointed out.  Today I’ll concentrate on apostrophes, and the words its and it’s.

1) Often an apostrophe is used to show possession, but in the case of the pronoun *it* an apostrophe is not used. *Its* is a pronoun used to show possession or ownership and therefore referred to as a *possessive pronoun*.

e.g. My car needs fixing. Its radiator overheated again.

2) *It's* is a contraction of *it is* (or *it has* when *has* is not the primary verb [see below]). The apostrophe takes the place of the letter *i*.

e.g. It’s [it is] cold outside. It’s [it has] been snowing.

When *has* is the primary verb, you cannot use the contraction *it’s* for *it has*.

e.g. *That new movie is boring, even though it has several big name actors* cannot be written *That new movie is boring, even though it’s several big name actors*.

3) An apostrophe doesn't always show possession. None of the possessive pronouns (my, your, his, her, its, our, their, whose) are spelled with an apostrophe.

4) *Apostrophe s* is not used to show plural of everyday words.

e.g. You write one cat, two cats, but not two cat’s.

5)*Apostrophe s* can be used to show the plural of:

a) abbreviations
b) numbers
c) letters

The *apostrophe s* is used where it helps avoid confusion and enables the reader to understand what the writer intended.

a) The term *Personal Computer* is often abbreviated to PC. If you were writing about several personal computers, it could be confusing if you wrote *PCS* or *PCs*, therefore the convention is to write *PC’s* where the reader immediately recognizes the abbreviation for personal computer and realizes the writer is using the *apostrophe s* to make the abbreviation plural.

b) I knew you weren’t born in Australia because you cross your 7’s like they do in Europe.

c) Steve got straight A’s on his report card.

Hopefully this has helped clear up the use of apostrophes in certain cases.

Serena

27 comments:

  1. Thanks Serena. This is very helpful.

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  2. Great article, Serena. It's always good to be reminded of the basics.

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  3. Hi Keziah,
    Thanks for that. I hope I can keep adding to this blog. There are lots of rules for possession and apostrophes :)
    Thanks for dropping in.

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  4. Hi Louise,
    And sometimes it's the basics that people forget or mix up. Thanks for coming by.

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  5. Always a good reminder!! Thanks Serena :)

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  6. You're welcome, Hélène. Thanks for commenting.

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  7. Hi Serena,
    Very informative and helpful blog.

    Regards

    Margaret

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  8. Thanks Serena, this is very helpful. When I'm writing I tend to forget the basics but I'm very lucky to have a very talented editor who critiques my work!!

    Cheers,
    Margaret

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  9. Hi Margaret T,
    Thanks for that. I'm glad if it helps even just a little bit.
    Thanks for coming in.

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  10. Awww thanks for saying that, Margaret M. I love critiquing your work. Thanks for dropping in.

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  12. Hi Serena,
    Very informative and helpful blog.

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  13. Hi Serena

    Great post as always :) and very helpful. I have a tendency to overuse commas & semi-colons - that's a tough one. No matter how many times I study the conventions and style guides, I still end up putting them in only to remove them on the next read through.

    Looking forward to your next post.

    Regards, Juanita

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  14. Serena,
    You have warmed the Queen of English's heart with this post. Misusing its and it's is my chief pet peeve. I include the troublesome words in my workshops on apostrophes and on word choice.

    Are you sure you're not the Queen's long-lost daughter if she'd had children? :-)

    MM the Queen of English
    http://queenofenglish.wordpress.com

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  15. Thanks for sharing. This is a great refresher.

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  16. Excellent reminder, Serena! I do have to carefully check my work for the "it's/its" because it's not second nature for me! I really have to think about it! I want to put those pesky apostrophes in everywhere!

    :)
    Sharon

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  17. Hi Romance Reader,
    I'm glad you found it useful. Thanks for coming in.

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  18. Hi Juanita,
    I understand the overuse of commas - I'm guilty of that one myself. I think because I have nearly always targeted Harlequin category lines, I don't use semi-colons much (they seem to be frowned on in their lines) but do use colons occasionally.

    Thanks for dropping in.

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  19. Hi Queen of English,
    I am humbled by your royal suggestion and by your very presence here.
    And oooh I love the idea of being a princess!

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  20. Hi mjdresselbooks,
    I'm glad you found it helpful. Thanks for commenting :)

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  21. Hi Sharon,
    Sometimes those pesky apostrophes have a mind of their own! In the case of its or it's - remember that the latter is ALWAYS *it is* or *it has*. And then train your fingers to remember :) Thanks for coming in.

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  22. Great lesson and I learned something new. :)

    Janice~

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  23. Thanks, Janice. I just discovered your blog yesterday and you have some great stuff up there too. Here's the link for anyone interested: http://janiceseagraves.org/

    Thanks for popping in, Janice!

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  24. Excellent post, Serena! I did learnt something new here! Thanks.

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  25. Thanks, Nas. Glad it helped. And thanks for dropping in.

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  26. ma grazie per la lezione di grammatica ciao dal cuginone

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    Replies
    1. Sono contenta che hai capito tutto, Nevio ;-P Grazie che sei venuto qui. Un bacione a tutti

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