When you are unsure about the correct spelling of a word, there are a few guidelines that you can use to help you out. The most common rules for spellings are capitalization and punctuation. But what about words that don’t have either of those things? In this article, we will look at the two most common examples – it’s and its.
Its vs Its
The difference between “it’s” and “its” is fairly simple. “It’s” is used when you are referring to something that belongs to the speaker, while “its” is used when you are referring to something that belongs to someone else. For example, if a student says, “It’s my book,” they are referring to their own book. If a student says, “Its hers,” they are referring to the book that belongs to the person they are talking to.
When to use It’s
The main difference between “its” and “it’s” is that “its” is used when referring to something that belongs to the speaker, while “it’s” is used when referring to something that belongs to the listener. For example, if you say “I found a dime on the ground,” you are using “its” because you are referring to the dime as belonging to you. If, however, you say “It’s raining cats and dogs,” you are using “it’s” because you are referring to the weather conditions as belonging to the listener.
More examples of Its usage
When you use “its” instead of “it’s,” you are emphasizing that the subject of the sentence is singular.
For example, you might say “The book is its own worst enemy.” This means that the book is doing its own damage, rather than working together with others to help it.
Another example would be “The cat ate its tail.” This means that the cat destroyed or lost something important that was attached to its body.
The difference between It’s and Its
The two words Its and It’s share a common ancestor, it being the past tense of be. However, there is a subtle but important difference between the two words. Here are some examples to help you understand the difference:
-It’s raining outside. (Past tense – It rained.)
-It’s lunchtime. (Present tense – It is lunchtime.)
-It’s midnight. (Present tense – It is midnight.)
-Its shoes are on the floor. (Past tense – Its shoes were on the floor.)
-Its coat is on the chair. (Past tense – Its coat was on the chair.)
