It's / Its

[SeaJayPea]

May I, dare I, presume to correct some of my fellow contributors? I was brought up at a time when bad spelling or misuse of words brought about a sharp rap on the knuckles. This one was my primary school teacher's particular bete noire.

It's with an apostrophe means 'IT IS'. It does not indicate a possessive. It's the one exception (see what I did there?).

Its without the apostrophe does indicate the possessive 'the car finished up on its roof' is right.

Probably shouldn't identify worst offenders, so I won't. You know who you are....

Just sayin'

[bibblebub]

wonder if that primary school teacher would have approved of an apostrophe being used at the end of a word rather than the G that makes it a proper English word

[vulcan42]

At least in the olden days people couldn't blame their pen for grammatical mistakes.

[gness]

☺☺...Grass has her funny knicker's on this morning....that was good!...☺☺

[carrust]

I though 'its' was a word on its own? You wouldn't say 'a word on it is own', would you?

[carrust]

'thought'

[B00]

you also used the wrong "your" on my post in adverts carrust.

Muhahahaha!

[jim360]

Incidentally, you needed a colon after the "possessive" and before your example of "the car landed on its roof"; and ellipses are made of three dots rather than four. But we wouldn't want to be too picky, would we?

[carrust]

I did it on porpoise boo:-)

[gness]

Perhaps whenever one of us make's a mistake we should be wrapped with.... well a wooden spoon would work.....x

[B00]

Wrapped?? LOL

(sorry, i'll behave now)

[pastafreak]

Granted some people are lazy,and others don't know the rules. But tablets and mobiles have a lot to answer for with all knowing predictive text. There are times I see the 'mistake' after I've posted...I so wish there was an edit function on here.

[carrust]

http://www.its-not-its.info/
I think I was correct in my earlier post:-)

[pusskin]

I couldnt give a monkeys on here how people post with correct grammar.
Doesnt bother me in the slightest as I'm not here to act like a school teacher.
My grammer is awful as I often come on here then rush away.

[gness]

I often come on here then rush away.


We're not that bad, Puss...surely.....☺

[Buenchico]

I've very occasionally been guilty of getting the apostrophe wrong in "its" (or "it's") but only as a typographical error, rather than from not knowing how to use (or omit) it. I get really annoyed with myself if I later read through my post and see where I went wrong.

However SeaJayPea is wrong to criticise everyone who misuses apostrophes. For all he knows, they might well be greengrocers and they're allowed to get it wrong by tradition! (e.g: "New Potato's")
;-)

[FrogNog]

Did you mean to type " going down the well " Vulcan?

[SeaJayPea]

Best I ever saw was on a greengrocer's window in Glasgow.

Merry Xma's.

[boxtops]

CJP that's brilliant....

I do like correct grammar and punctuation, but I hope I don't beat anyone with a stick if they get it wrong - on here, it's the meaning which counts.

(and I do get ratty if people say that instead of which, but that's me being old-fashioned and I wouldn't say anything..... just don't get me started on "would of"....)

[pixie373]

I don't think it matters too much on a forum like this- as long as it's (!) understandable. There is no way I would write an official letter or email with the same speed and carelessness that I type here. That doesn't mean I don't know how to.

[boxtops]

..and people using phones or tablets seem to have more difficulty in seeing typos etc. (note there is no apostrophe in typos, it's a plural!)