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Apostrophe Trouble

Which to Use: Its or ±őłŮ’s? Whose or °Âłó´Ç’s? Your or łŰ´ÇłÜ’r±đ? There, Their or °Őłó±đ˛â’r±đ?

These homophones (sound-alikes) pose vexing questions for many writers: even if we know the difference (but maybe can’t explain it), we often make typographical errors and insert one when we mean the other.

The Difference: Possessive Pronouns versus Contractions

Possessive pronouns modify nouns and indicate possession of those nouns.

  • Whose car is that? The car belongs to Gary.

Contractions are a written manifestation of spoken language, in which letters are omitted to facilitate pronunciation; the missing letters are replaced with an apostrophe.

  • °Âłó´Ç’s the owner of that car? = Who is the owner (an apostrophe replaces the “i” in “is”)

Examples to Learn from: Possessive Pronouns versus Contractions

  • Its vs. ±őłŮ’s
    • The cat hurt itsĚý±č˛ą·É. (the paw of the cat: possessive )
    • ±őłŮ’s the cat purring. (it is: contraction)
  • Whose vs. °Âłó´Ç’s
    • Whose car is that? (to whom does it belong: possessive)
    • °Âłó´Ç’s the owner of this car? (who is: contraction)
  • Your vs. łŰ´ÇłÜ’r±đ
    • Is that yourĚýł¦˛ąłŮ? (to whom does it belong? possessive)
    • łŰ´ÇłÜ’r±đ the owner of that cat? (who is: contraction)
  • There vs. Their vs. °Őłó±đ˛â’r±đ

    The distinction between these three is a little more complicated.

    1. “There” indicates place or location: Put the box over there.
    2. “Their” is a possessive pronoun that indicates possession: ±ĘłÜłŮĚýtheir box in a separate place.
    3. “°Őłó±đ˛â’r±đ” is a contraction for “they are”: °Őłó±đ˛â’r±đ in the kitchen.
    • °Őłó±đ˛â’r±đ (contraction) putting their (possessive) boxes over thereĚý(±ô´Çł¦˛ąłŮľ±´Ç˛Ô).

Application Strategies

  • Strategy 1: When in Doubt, Rephrase!

    Not sure whether you need a possessive pronoun or a contraction with an apostrophe?

    1. Ask yourself if the word in question can be rephrased as a possessive phrase, “of the [blank],” or a being phrase, “[blank] is”;
    2. “of the [blank],” no apostrophe; “[blank] is,” apostrophe required
  • Strategy 2: Proofread with a Focus on These Words

    When you proofread, take time to proofread any piece of writing one time through solely for instances of such words.

    To streamline your proofreading, consider using your word processor’s “Find” tool to search your document for each of the terms discussed in this guide, taking time to evaluate each use: its, it’s, whose, who’s, your, you’re, there, their, and they’re.

Last revised: 07/2008 | Adapted for web delivery: 07/2021

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