I understand that it shows that there is a contraction. This is helpful for understanding for neologism-like contractions, but the contraction of "it is" is so common you just read it the same as its and don't have any problem. I know this because when it's written as "its" in passages (like my notes) I understand it without a hitch and don't even notice it, until I go back through for editing.
1 Answer
This is a problem for many English writers, even those born into the language. The 's
suffix is used for two different things, as a contraction for "is", and to denote ownership. So "Fred's" could mean "Fred is", or it could mean "belonging to Fred".
This ambiguity is not too confusing in most contexts, but with "it" it gets a bit weird. So some years back (to my knowledge in the 1950s, but maybe earlier) it became "standard" (ie, approved by "authorities" at Oxford and Cambridge, et al) to render the possessive "it" as "its", and reserve "it's" as the contraction of "it is". This practice has become fairly common, and so the use of "it's" to denote "the thing belonging to it" would now be considered erroneous by most reasonably educated readers.
There are a few other words where this practice is followed, though I'm not sure which ones have achieved the same degree of standardization as with "it".
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Two? He's been scrumping again. Fo'c's'le is a hard word to spell. His two ex's were there at both do's. May 24, 2020 at 18:26
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1it became "standard" (ie, approved by "authorities" at Oxford and Cambridge, et al) Seriously?. There are no "authorities".at Oxford and Cambridge, et al. The earlier form of "it's" was also 'tis (now obsolete.) It's was last used for "its" somewhere back in the 17th century, but because of the of primitive printing, it is commoner to see "its" for "it's" - 1650 A. Weldon Court & Char. King James , 122 Its verily beleeved..it was intended the Law should run in its proper channell. The genitive never has shown ownership, it shows "association." May 24, 2020 at 20:26
'
in "it's" isn't punctuation, it's part of that word's spelling.it's
when you meanits
, or vice versa, is to write a different word from the word you need; a word which expresses a different meaning from your intended meaning.