Monday, September 22, 2008

It's vs. Its

The subtitle of my blog involves using the best grammar I possibly can, and that’s what I’ve been trying to do. In addition to my own attempts at writing properly, I wondered whether you, dear readers, would be interested in a few tips. So every once in a while, I’ll slip in a quick post on grammar, steeped (of course!) in the imagery of the wonderful wedding world.

Before I begin, let me just say that I know I’m not an authority on all things grammatical. So here’s an open invitation to correct my grammar:


On to the lesson: It’s vs. Its

It’s is a contraction, meaning it is.

Its is possessive, meaning something belonging to it.

So you would write:
Have you seen the officiant? It’s an Elvis impersonator!
source

And you would also write:
Carrie’s headpiece featured its own bird!
source

But you would NOT write:
At MacGyver’s wedding, each table had it’s own centerpiece made from paperclips and chewing gum.
source

Happy Monday!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Came across your site via Snippet & Ink. Love it!

My mom's an author so I've grown up with a skosh of OCD when it comes to grammar - and the it's/its error is EVERYWHERE!

One small addition to your rule: it's can also be a contraction of "it has," as in "It's been a long time."

Ta-daaaah!

Jules said...

wiggs-n-dave! Thanks for your excellent comment. I love talkin' with other OCD grammarians.