Toni’s Writing Tips – its and it’s

One of the most common mistakes in writing is the misuse of either its or it’s. There really is no need for any confusion because there is a clear distinction between the meaning of these. All you need to do is ask yourself what you are trying to say.

It’s

This is a shortening of “It is” or “It has” with an inverted comma replacing one or two letters. If you are saying it is or it has, then use that term.

Here are some example sentences:

It’s a hot today.

It’s going to be a long night.

It’s about time that I told you the truth.

She is having a party but it’s not starting until nine o’clock.

It’s been raining since last Monday.

Its

This is a possessive term. When we talk about something belonging to an animal, plant or inanimate object, we say its instead of using his or her. The word does not have an apostrophe. Here are some examples:

The tree is ancient and its trunk is badly damaged.

The cat licked its paws.

The shop is having its biggest sale of the year.

As you can see, it’s easy to distinguish between these and avoid making a mistake

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