It's a Mystery - by Brenda B. Covert

Isn’t it amazing how a tiny, three-letter word can cause such a big problem? We’re talking about I-T-S. It’s a word that’s easily overlooked as you proofread your own work. Its use can be quite confusing. To apostrophe, or not to apostrophe, that is the question!

It’s is a contraction of it and is. In the sentence, It’s a record-breaking year, you need an apostrophe; it’s stands for it is.

Its is a possessive pronoun. In the sentence, I love my printer, but its ink is expensive, no apostrophe is required; its refers to the printer. You would never say it is ink is expensive.

When in doubt, sound it out. Substitute it is in place of its. If your sentence sounds fine, include the apostrophe. If it sounds weird, leave it out. It’s (it is) as easy as that!

Question: Has "it's" and "it is" caused you problems in your writing?