Top 5 Grammar Errors, Part 1

Written by Pat Wootton, PromptProofing.com

In this day and age of text messages peppered with emoticons and emails with no punctuation, it often seems that grammar and punctuation have gone the way of the quill pen. However, if you're reading this, you're clearly aware that correct grammar and punctuation are still important. 'C U later' and 'LOL' might be fine for your friends but will not make a favourable impact with college professors, prospective employers or business associates. To make the right impression, your written reports, term papers, resumes etc. should be free from any grammatical or punctuation errors.

Improve your writing with our brief, informative articles on our Prompt Proofing blog. New posts published every Friday, so check back often!

Part 1: its versus it's

In a series of short, user-friendly articles, Prompt Proofing will attempt to simplify some of the more common errors.

This is seen incorrectly so many times that it has to earn first place in the top five and I think the reason for the confusion is quite understandable. Apostrophes show either possession (..the girl's bike...) or omissions ( I don't want to go...). So – if something belongs to it then we should use an apostrophe to show possession, right? Well, no – because when we talk about something belonging to it we're actually using a possessive pronoun.

Compare:

The book has lost its cover. with The bike you found is hers.

You wouldn’t use an apostrophe for hers, so it is the same for its. In this situation, its is a possessive pronoun, just like hers – no apostrophe needed!

If, however, we say It's a sunny day today.. what we really mean is It is a sunny day today.

In this case the apostrophe is needed to show omission. So – it's means either it is or it has, thus:

It's sunny now. (It is sunny now.) OR It's been raining all day. (It has been raining all day.)

Both use the apostrophe to show omission.

REMEMBER – if you use an apostrophe and an s after it, it means that something has been omitted.

Check back next Friday for Part 2 in this grammar series.

About the Author

Pat Wootton is originally from England and is a former high school English teacher. Having spent many years in the Caribbean, where she raised her family, she now lives in Vancouver, BC. In addition, she has taught English as a Second Language (ESL) for several years after earning a diploma in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from the University of British Columbia. She now owns and runs Prompt Proofing, a copy editing and writing service that caters to individuals and partners with marketing and public relations companies.