No, that's a misnomer.
It's not a pet, people, it's a monster. Its tentacles have oozed into every level of our culture, from advertising to news articles to blogs to personal emails to published "works" of literature.
I refuse to accept it.
Tell me, do YOU know the difference between "it's" and "its"?
Pete calls me a grammar Nazi. You can call me a grammar freak. I don't care.
The technical term for "it's" is contraction. It is two words joined together by an apostrophe: "It" and "is." (Raise your hand if you know what an apostrophe is.)
You use "it-apostrophe-s" (it's) when you want to say, "It is cold outside." "It is your turn to do the dishes." "It is an abomination that so many people get away with using the contraction it's as a possessive pronoun." (Each "it is" may be replaced with "it-apostrophe-s.")
It's awful!
But this brings me to the second part of my rant.
The technical term for "its" is possessive pronoun. Notice the very OBVIOUS lack of apostrophe.
You use "its" when describing something that belongs to or with something. "Its paws were white." "The church has missed its calling." "Proper grammar has released its hold on our American society."
I may not be able to change the world, but this is ONE thing I should very much like to see corrected.
*rides off into the sunset, muttering wildly...*
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8 comments:
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I HATE this grammar mistake. Drives me nuts. Maybe someone will read your post and finally understand how it works. (Or should I say, "its/it's works"?)w
I, too, hate this grammer mistake. And as I read through your entry I couldn't help but think about our college days with Homestarrunner and Strong Bad. Raise your hand if you remember Strong Bad's melodic chime: If you want to be possessive, it's just I-T-S. If you want to make a contraction, it's I-T-apostrophe-S. Scallawag!
Common Leeann, help me out.
grammar mistakes? Ain't that what spell checker is for? *ducks*
;-)
Good article, Kelly! I also hate the misuse of the three types of "there" (there, their, and they're). ;-)
lol--THAT is a peeve for another day!
Right on Kelly ... and after you eradicate that scourge and the one suggested by Kit, you can attack the "your - you're" menace.
~FD
Hi Kelly,
Found you through Meg's blog... Had to commiserate w/ this pet peeve... My husband and I are grammar-Nazis as well - and its/it's is right up there with less/few and the correct spelling of definitely (definately).
You and my girlfriend would get along fameously. I, on the other hand, am one of those who just admits to being completely inept at proper grammar and accepts the fact that this will remain with me for the rest of my life. However, watch period movies with me and I will drive you insane with my constant critiques and comments. We all have our peeves. :o)
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