The Difference Between its and it’s

Finding the difference between its and it’s is a common very common challenge, even for English speakers.  But here’s an exercise and lesson that will help guide you through the process of using its versus it’s:

Its: Without the apostrophe, this word is a possessive pronoun, his or her, for objects/things without gender.

 

  • The word its is often used in reference to something owned by a person or thing previously mentioned in the sentence, such as:
  • The table made a sound in its legs when he put his plate down.

The word its can also be used in reference to a noun without a defined gender.   Choose its when you want to give something ownership, for example:

  • My mom yelled when the dog spilled its water bowl.

 

It’s: With an apostrophe, this word is a contraction, meaning it is or is has

 

  • It’s, happens to be a contraction meaning it is or it has.

 

  • It’s been two hours since he texted me back
  • It’s the relationship that I have with my students that really makes me happy

 

All in all, this process can be tricky, but with practice and reading, you will be on your merry way to mastering these two words.

 

It’s about time you figure out how to find the difference between it’s and its!  I know you can do it, even if your brain has its bad and good days.  Here are some exercises to help:

 

Difference Between its and it’s quiz

Fill in the blank for the following sentences:

To Do (regular verb)

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Let’s start with the basics!

The verb ‘to do’ is one of the most common in the English language and mastering it is essential. To do is often used in questions and is changed in different ways.

Regular verb:

I/You/We/They               DO

He/She/It                       DOES

 

We can use this verb to talk about actions in general:

 

  • There is nothing we can do, except wait and see.
  • All students should do their homework.

 

We can also ask questions using DO or DOES:

  • Do you like pasta? I do!
  • Where does she come from?

 

In the negative, we simply add not after the verb.

  • I do not speak French, even though I come from Canada.
  • He does not like macaroni and cheese.

 

The contraction would be DON’T or DOESN’T.

  • I don’t eat pickles because I do not like them.
  • She doesn’t enjoy drinking tea.

 

Do you want to try this activity? I hope so!

Do or Does?

Read the sentences and choose the right answer.

 

We hope that helped you learn a little English today! If you’d like to improve even more, check out the rest of our resources (https://scrambledeggsinglese.it/english-exercises/ ), take a look at our Instagram or drop by our English school in Milan.

Imperatives

Maybe you are trying to give someone directions or your friend needs help cooking and you do not know which verb form to use. Choosing the correct verb form in English is very important and can often times lead to confusion. For that reason, we will look at something called IMPERATIVES.

HINT: it is actually very easy!

Imperatives are used to give instructions or orders. An imperative is formed from the infinitive form of the verb (base form). An imperative comes from the second person, which means we use it to talk directly to someone else.

We can use imperatives to:
Give orders
Give directions

Here are some examples of imperatives in the positive:
Be quiet, the students are working.
Let’s go home
Close the door.
Turn right at the next street.

For the negative, we simply add do not (or don’t) before the infinitive.
Do not shout, I can hear you.
Don’t walk on the grass
Do not run near the pool.
Don’t do that

Try these exercises and test your understanding.

Imperatives

Choose the correct answer.

 

I hope this went well for you. Thank you for working so hard in and out of the classroom. The more you practice the better your English will be. Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.