So what gives with these s’s?

How is one to know the proper time to put the ‘ in the word? It’s very confusing to young readers like myself.

While I understand the logic of possession, where you use the ‘ to reflect that whatever it is, the item belongs to it. But then they go and throw in the side rule that says it’s also happens to be a shortened version of it is.

They have a whole list of words for this adorable little side rule, such as, you are = you’re, they are= they’re, and we are = we’re. These are just for starters. There’s a whole list of them, like the one I just used. It goes on and on.

The more I tried to understand the use of ‘ , the more confused I became. I guess it’s time t0 ask Mr. McGoogle why we’ve added all the extra ‘s’s to our vocabularies…

AI Overview

It’s is a contraction for “it is” or “it has” (e.g., “It’s raining”). Its (no apostrophe) is the possessive form, meaning “belonging to it” (e.g., “The dog wagged its tail”). A quick tip: If you can replace the word with “it is,” use it’s; otherwise, use its.

Detailed Breakdown

• It’s (with apostrophe) = Contraction
  • Use this when you mean it is or it has.
  • Examples: It’s cold outside. It’s been a long day.
• Its (no apostrophe) = Possessive
  • Use this to show ownership or belonging, similar to his, her, or their.
  • Examples: The company updated its logo. The tree lost its leaves.

Why this answer doesn’t really help us, at all!

I already understand how to decide if I want to say it is, or it’s… but, what about all that possession stuff? All the ai wants to say is that little tiny bit about a tree?

Come on! It’s time to scroll a bit further…

According to Grammarly,

“The difference between its and it’s comes down to function: its shows possession, while it’s is a contraction of it is or it has. Its is the possessive form of it, used to show that something belongs to or is associated with something else. It’s is a contraction that combines it is or it has, with the apostrophe replacing the missing letters. To choose the right word, use the substitution trick—if you can replace it with it is or it has, use it’s; if not, use its. Avoid common mistakes, like using it’s to show possession or adding an apostrophe to its just because it “looks right.”

I guess if this is the rule we must abide by, then I shall not pursue the argument. As I am but a young, and newly educated ant, I shall follow the masses with this one. It’s just not worth arguing about, and I already seem to be doing it out of habit.

It is what it is, and it isn’t what I thought it’d be, with its rules about itself and all it’s exceptions, too. I guess it’s more about its uses in it’s daily life that makes it more about itself than about its use in our sentences, regarding it’s proper usage.

I thought I’d leave you with a tongue twister, but I’m sure there are mistakes in there, somewhere…

it’s alright.