I’ve commented on grammar before, only to receive angry e-mails. Today, I read widely. On three separate occasions with three writers on three very different topics, with writers of different nationalities (including American), and in the midst of thoughtful articles, I ran into such statements as “payments for it’s goods” and “designs of it’s suits.” These errors in grammar distracted me. They will always distract me until I stop breathing. They will always lead me to question the care that went into the article. They will always lead me to infer that education has gone downhill.
The word “it’s” is a contraction of two words “it is.” The apostrophe replaces the space and the second “i”. It’s going to rain. It’s not a good idea. It’s a good day for singing. It is…It is…It is…
Its, with no apostrophe, is a possessive pronoun. A possessive pronoun typically appears before a noun, as in “my umbrella, his raincoat, IBM’s computers, and its computers”. “IBM pays cash for its supplies.” “MGM uses its movie sets over and over.” To decide which one to use, say to yourself “it is” and see if it fits. Since “IBM pays cash for it is supplies” makes no sense, “it’s” is incorrect. All errors in grammar that I have made in this blog and my other writings are my responsibility.
7:32 pm on May 24, 2012
