It's a Jungle Out There

If you go to the jungle, you might need a guide to help you navigate the potential hazards. Writing also has some hazards because it is easy to make mistakes. 

This post is here to help you navigate a common mistake people make with possessive pronouns: when to use "its" or "it's. First, keep in mind that apostrophes have more than one use. 

If we saw a playful monkey in the jungle, we might say it's playful. We use an apostrophe because we mean that "it is" playful. The apostrophe combines the two words into one.

We also use apostrophes to show possession, but we don't use the apostrophe on possessive pronouns.

The word "its" is a possessive pronoun. If the monkey starts scratching under the armpits, we might say that the monkey is scratching its armpits. There is no apostrophe needed because "its" is a possessive pronoun. 

Think of it this way: if I say that I don't want to see the tigers right now because my child is crying, the word "my" doesn't need an apostrophe. "My" is a possessive pronoun, and possessive pronouns don't need apostrophes. The possessiveness is built in. 

We do need an apostrophe if we say Sally's favorite animal is the giraffe. This is because "Sally" is not a pronoun. In this case, the apostrophe shows possession.

Here's a recap so far:

It's: a contraction, not a pronoun--it means "it is"

Its: a pronoun that already shows possession (the monkey's armpits)

My: a pronoun that already shows possession

Sally's: not a pronoun--use an apostrophe to show possession

There are other words that cause confusion as well, such as "theirs" and "there's." Can you figure out why "theirs" doesn't need an apostrophe? If you said, "because it's a pronoun," you are right! "There's" needs an apostrophe because it is a contraction for "there is." 

What about "yours" and "you're?" Can you figure out why one needs an apostrophe and one doesn't? Yours is a pronoun (doesn't need an apostrophe), and you're is a contraction for "you are," so it needs one.