it's ALWAYS means it is.
it's ONLY means it is.
Example:
It's true that I have devoted my life to goats.
[It is] true that I have devoted my life to goats.
its is ALWAYS possessive.
Example:
Did you see that mountain goat? Its beard was so majestic.
Did you see that mountain goat? [The mountain goat's] beard was so majestic.
6 comments:
(third time's the charm. guhll.)
its is NOT always possessive:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=97700573
start at 17:45.
My grammatically sensitive heart goes out to you! Bless you, time and time again!
Thank you for fighting grammatical crime. It is a post that must be assumed, and with goats tied into it, the lessons will be well-learned and far reaching.
man, you get really colorful when you get angry.
Long live grammar Nazism!
It's just nice to meet another human that shares my affinity for . . . English culture?
Anyway, I don't know if it ever has or ever will help anyone, but here's my version of the rule:
"Its" is in the same category as "hers" and "his" (possessive pronouns, of course), neither of which have apostrophes, either.
If people have a hard time with the idea, the first part of your explanation -- that "it's" is a contraction -- would definitely be good to keep in mind along with mine, so they don't talk themselves back into using it incorrectly just because they can't remember why "it's" exists if it's not a possessive.
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