Welcome to the second installment of Apostrophe Philosophy!
Today we are going to discuss the difference between it’s and its, and why those three little letters and our favorite punctuation mark (this month, anyway) cause us English speakers and writers so much grief.
I think what causes the most confusion here is that we are repeatedly told that an apostrophe signals possession, not pluralization. So, our brains rationalize, it’s must be the possessive form!
It’s is a contraction, two words taken apart and put back together again with an apostrophe in place of some missing letters. Here the apostrophe indicates the elision of a letter or letters, NOT possession.
Broken apart again, it’s becomes it is or it has. It is a pronoun and is is a verb; this is a very common contraction combination. Why do contractions exist? To save time and space. Yes, really.
If you are not sure if what you are writing requires it’s or its, try to break open the contraction and see if it works with what you are saying.
Let’s say that you won the Powerball and you’re writing an email to let your family know that your ticket won and you're now a millionaire.
It’s a winner! You write. Broken apart again, it is a winner. Yep, that works.
It’s mine, all mine! It is mine. Yes again, you selfish millionaire you.
The state of New Jersey has it’s biggest winner ever!
I’ll take possessives for $200, Alex…er, Kenan.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s (see what I did there?) a cruel trick of the English language that the possessive form of it does not contain an apostrophe.
So in that sentence referenced above, New Jersey is going to want to claim you as the biggest lotto winner. New Jersey wants to possess you, and some of your Powerball money in taxes, too.
The state of New Jersey has its biggest winner ever!
Its, apostrophe-free, indicates ownership. Its should always be followed by a noun showing what it owns. In the case above, it is New Jersey, and now it owns you, biggest winner ever.
So, to recap: Nothing is what it seems, English is a cruel mistress, and now you are stuck reflecting on why you have never won even $5 on the power play.
But at least now you know that it’s is a contraction that represents two separate words and means it is or it has.
And its needs no ritz to show possession.
NONE would be of interest to me . . . as in "none are" . . . etc. Contraction. They fail to use it properly, so often on TV, etc.