Grammar Guide #10: Its and It’s

“To apostrophe or not to apostrophe?” that is the question. (Wait, I think I just verbed a noun there. Actually, I was checking to see if anyone was paying attention to Grammar Guide 7: Nouns Gone Wild.) Anyway…if you’re wondering whether to use it or it’s, here is where you’ll find the answer. Following are the meanings and some examples of its and it’s.

its — Is a pronoun meaning, essentially, of it, or relating to it or itself

Test: If you can replace its with his or her in a sentence and have it make sense grammatically, then your word is its

Examples:

Each content management system has its own strengths.

The company is hoping its sales will increase in the next quarter.

The dog is on its bed.

it’s— Is a contraction of it is.

Examples:

It’s never too early to start content development.

It looks like it’s going to be a long day.

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