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Difference of ‘it’s & its’

(How to differentiate between ‘it’s’ and ‘its’ – explanation and rules)

Contents

  1. Use of ‘it’s’ and ‘its’
  2. Further explanations and exercises

When are ‘it’s’ and ‘its’ used?

Whenever you use ‘it’s’ or ‘its’, pay close attention if you are a learner of English grammar. There is a high risk of confusion. While ‘it’s’ is a short form of ‘it is’ or ‘it has’, ‘its’ is a possessive pronoun and thus shows ownership or affiliation. Therefore, compare the following cases:

  • On the one hand, ‘it’s’ can be utilised as a short form where the shortened ‘-’s’ either …
    • … stands for ‘is’, the short form of the verb ‘to be’ in the third person singular:
      • “It’s time to go.”
        • shortened form
      • “It is time to go.”
        • regular form
    • … or for ‘has’. Then, it is the short form of ‘to have’ in the third person singular:
      • “Look at the cat! It’s got such a beautiful colour.”
        • shortened form
      • “It has got such a beautiful colour.”
        • regular form
  • On the other hand, ‘its’ is used to express ownership and affiliation:
    • ‘its’ is a possessive pronoun. For this reason, the ‘s’ does not stand for any other word but signals the genitive, which means possession or relationship:
      • “Look at the cat! Its colour is lovely.”
      • “I love France and its culture.”

Further explanations relating to the ‘Difference of ‘it’s & its’’

The following explanations relate to the topic ‘How to differentiate between ‘it’s’ and ‘its’’ and may be interesting as well: