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Like most English speakers, you probably confuse «its» with «it’s» on occasion. This mistake is easy to make and easy to fix. To eliminate this tic from your writing, just remember that «it’s» always means «it is» or «it has.» If you get in the habit of checking your sentences for this common error, you’ll soon be rid of it!
It’s and Its Usage Cheat Sheet
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1
Use «its» to indicate possession. When the pronoun is «it,» the possessive form is «its.» Like the possessive determiners «hers» and «his,» «its» doesn’t need an apostrophe to indicate possession. Write «its» to describe something that belongs to, or is a part of, an animal, plant or inanimate object. Some example sentences may include:[1]
- My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn.
- My neighbor’s cat never stays in its own yard.
- That bottle of wine is cheap, but it has its charms.
- Google needs to update its privacy policy.
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2
Include an apostrophe when «it’s» means «it is» or «it has.» Only use the apostrophe if «it’s» is a contraction of «it is» or «it has.» Some sample sentences include:[2]
- «It’s a nice day»
- «It’s been a nice day»
- «Let’s see that movie: I hear it’s amazing!»
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3
Use replacement to double check. If you’re reading a sentence and you’re not sure if «its» or «it’s» is appropriate, try replacing the word with «it is» or «it has.» If you can replace the «it’s» or «its» with «it is» or «it has,» then you should use an apostrophe («it’s»).[3]
- Take this sample sentence: «The tire had lost ___ air.»
- Replace the blank with «it is» or «it has»: «The tire had lost it is air.» This is clearly wrong.
- Therefore, the sentence should be: «The tire had lost its air.» Because the air belonged to the tire, the «its» is possessive.
- Remember, if you can’t replace «it’s» with «it is» or «it has,» then using the apostrophe would be wrong.
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1
Look at the sample sentence. You’ll need to either use «its» or «it’s» in the blank. «The museum needs to update __ online schedule for summer.»
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2
Ask yourself if «it is» or «it has» could replace the «it’s.» To determine if an apostrophe should be used, ask yourself if the «it’s» is indeed a short form of «it is» or «it has.» If you’re not sure, read the sentence aloud.[4]
- Does the phrase «it is» or «it has» fit in the sentence? The museum needs to update it is online schedule for summer. The answer, of course, is «no.»
- Could you use «its» to refer to something that belongs to an inanimate object? Yes, because the online schedule belongs to the museum. The right answer is: The museum needs to update its online schedule for summer.
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3
Try the same method for the following sentence. «___ hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.»[5]
- Does the phrase «it is» or «it has» fit in the sentence? It is hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.
- The phrase «it is» fits perfectly into the sentence, so you don’t have to ask yourself any further questions. The correct answer is: It’s hard to tell the difference between those shades of green.
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Add New Question
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Question
When do I use «it’s?»
«It’s» is the contraction of the phrase, «It is.» Where you could use «it is,» you can use «it’s» instead.
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Question
When do I use «it»?
«It» is a pronoun used to take the place of a genderless noun.
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Question
Which word is correct for the sentence, «The book about the moon is about the moon and (it’s/its) phases»?
«Its,» because «it’s» is a contraction of «it is» and «its» is possessive.
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When you’re typing an email or a paper, your spell checker won’t necessarily catch an error between «its» and «it’s.» Make sure that you reread your writing carefully to catch any mistakes instead of relying on spell check.
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Article SummaryX
One way to use “its” is to indicate possession, so when the pronoun is “it,” the possessive form is “its.” For example, “My oak tree loses its leaves in autumn.” You’d only add an apostrophe when “it’s” means “it is” or “it has.” For example, “It’s a nice day,” or “It’s been a nice day.” If you’re reading a sentence and aren’t sure if “its” or “it’s” is appropriate, try replacing the word with “it is” or “it has.” If you can substitute “it is” or “it has,” then you should use the apostrophe. To learn how to practice using “its” and “it’s” correctly in a sentence, keep reading!
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A friend of mine asked me to write about how to choose the correct form of its, and I am happy to comply. Those three little letters cause a lot of confusion, but once you master a couple of basic rules, the choice becomes simple. Here goes:
- Its’ is never correct. Your grammar and spellchecker should flag it for you. Always change it to one of the forms below.
- It’s is the contraction (abbreviated form) of “it is” and “it has.” It’s has no other meanings–only “it is” and “it has.”
- Its is the form to use in all other instances when you want a form of i-t-s but you are not sure which one. Its is a possessive form; that is, it shows ownership the same way Javier’s or Santosh’s does.
Example: The radio station has lost its license.
The tricky part of the its question is this: If we write “Javier’s license” with an apostrophe, why do we write “its license” without an apostrophe?
Here is the explanation: Its is like hers, his, ours, theirs, and yours. These are all pronouns. Possessive pronouns do not have apostrophes. That is because their spelling already indicates a possessive. For example, the possessive form of she is hers. The possessive form of we is ours. Because we change the spelling, there is no need to add an apostrophe to show possession. Its follows that pattern.
Its used correctly:
- You can recognize Rene’s music by its abrupt tempo changes.
- The golden retriever is known for its gentle personality.
- Golfing has lost its appeal for Gene because of his arthritis.
Test yourself. Decide which form is correct in these sentences.
- Its / It’s easy to get to the ballpark by car or bus.
- This restaurant is known for its / it’s emphasis on regional cooking.
- Its / It’s become very difficult to find parking near the library since it moved from its / it’s Maple Street location.
Remember: When the word is a contraction of “it is” or “it has,” the correct choice is it’s. Otherwise, the correct choice is its.
Correct answers:
- The word is a contraction in this sentence, so the correct form is it’s.
- The phrase “it is” doesn’t make sense in this sentence, which needs a possessive form: its.
- The sentence begins with a contraction of “it has” (it’s) and then needs a possessive form (its).
I hope my explanation of its / it’s works well for you. Just remember: Its’ is never correct.
Lynn
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Other search spellings: grammer, gramar, apostrphe, aposotrophe, speling, posessive, possesive, punctation, pucntuation, writng
Synonym: communicate, express, phrase, put, say, tell, voice. Similar words: in a word, in other words, cord, order, work, record, in order, border. Meaning: [wɜrd /wɜːd] 
n. 1. a unit of language that native speakers can identify 2. a brief statement 3. new information about specific and timely events 4. the divine word of God; the second person in the Trinity (incarnate in Jesus) 5. a promise 6. a secret word or phrase known only to a restricted group 7. an exchange of views on some topic 8. the sacred writings of the Christian religions 9. a verbal command for action 10. a word is a string of bits stored in computer memory. v. put into words or an expression.
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1. The word «Impossible» is not in my dictionary. 
2. A kind word is never lost.
3. There is great difference between word and deed.
4. One honest word is better than two oaths.
5. Love rules his kingdom without a word.
6. A word spoken is past recalling.
7. Many a true word is spoken in jest.
8. A word to the wise is enough.
9. The word once spoken can never be realled.
10. To a wise man one word is enough.
11. Believe somebody on his bare word.
12. A word in season is most precious.
13. Every brave man is a man of his word.
14. There is many a true word spoken in jest.
15. A wise man hears one word and understand two.
16. A word spoken is an arrow let fly.
17. A word in time is worth two afterwards.
17. Sentencedict.com try its best to collect and make good sentences.
18. A word spoken cannot be recalled.
19. A word is enough to the wise.
20. Suit the action to the word.
21. A word and a stone let go cannot be recalled.
22. An honest man’s word is as good as his bond.
23. While the word is in your mouth, it is your own; when ’tis once spoken, ’tis another’s.
24. A word is no arrow, but it can pierce the heart.
25. The chinese word for crisis is divided into two characters, one meaning danger and the other meaning opportunity.
26. Half a tale [word] is enough for a wise man.
27. Education commences at the mother’s knee, andevery word spoken within the hearsay of children tends towards the formation of character.
28. Life is a leaf of paper white, thereon each of us may write his word or two.
29. Speak clearly if you speak at all, Carve every word before you let it fall.
30. On the great clock of time there is but one word, «Now».
More similar words: in a word, in other words, cord, order, work, record, in order, border, works, worth, worry, world, at work, can afford, afford to, work off, work at, work up, worthy, work out, at worst, worker, network, workout, in order to, out of order, border on, disorder, be worth, according.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.
слова в предложении
слово в предложении
The context of a new word in a sentence or story was often enough to guess the meaning.
Фонового контекста нового слова в предложении или рассказе часто хватает для того, чтоб угадать смысл.
But it is better to accompany any non-standard cases with a commentary or an example of the use of a word in a sentence.
Но любые нестандартные случаи лучше сопровождать комментарием или примером употребления слова в предложении.
In this case, the function of a question is accomplished by one word in a sentence the meaning of which should be confirmed or denied.
В данном случае функцию вопроса выполняет одно слово в предложении, значение которого нужно подтвердить или опровергнуть.
If you want to predict the next word in a sentence you better know which words came before it.
Если вы хотите предсказать следующее слово в предложении, лучше учитывать предшествующие ему слова.
Thus in Greek the function of a word in a sentence is indicated by its case ending.
В русском языке функция того или иного слова в предложении обозначена его окончанием.
Many modern languages, including Italian and Spanish, either allow or require more than one negative word in a sentence.
Многие современные языки, включая итальянский и испанский, разрешают или требуют более одного отрицательного слова в предложении.
The position and use of a word in a sentence may determine its part of speech and its meaning.
Положение и использование слова в предложении может определять его часть речи и его значение.
After all, when we were taught to read, we were taught to pay attention to every word in a sentence.
В конце концов, когда мы учились читать, нам говорили обращать внимание на каждое слово в предложении.
Researchers at the non-profit AI research group OpenAI just wanted to train their new text generation software to predict the next word in a sentence.
Исследователи из некоммерческой исследовательской группы OpenAI просто хотели обучить свою программу для генерации текста, чтобы та могла предсказывать следующее слово в предложении.
Thus, context, the position of a word in a sentence and the other words around it, has an important effect on correctly interpreting which denotation of a word is meant.
Таким образом, контекст — место слова в предложении и другие слова вокруг него — играет важную роль в правильной интерпретации значения этого слова.
Or the first letters, or the medials, of every word in a sentence may be used to construct one word that conveys the mystical import it is desired to impart.
Первые или средние буквы каждого слова в предложении можно использовать для составления нового слова, передающего желаемый мистический смысл.
Using your voice tone, body language, gestures, etc. to mark out key word in a sentence or a special piece of your presentation.
Использование тона голоса, языка тела, жестов и т. д. для того, чтобы выделять ключевое слово в предложении или особенно важную часть своей презентации.
Users simply hold the handle on an unfamiliar word — and the screen will handle the translation, as well as a complete dictionary entry with all values, transcription and examples of usage of the word in a sentence.
Пользователю достаточно просто провести ручкой по незнакомому слову — и на экране ручки появится перевод, а также полная словарная статья со всеми значениями, транскрипцией и примерами употребления слова в предложении.
You read a single word in a sentence — how can you judge the whole sentence?
Вы прочли единственное слово в предложении — как вы можете судить о целой книге?
For example, if you hear or read a word in a sentence that makes sense, the component of the brain waveform known as the N400 is less pronounced than if you read a sentence that is nonsense.
Например, если вы слышите или читаете слова в предложении, то сигнал мозга, известный как N400, является менее выраженным, чем при чтении предложения.
You could very well know every single word in a sentence and still not understand what is being said because of unfamiliarity with these aspects of the language.
Вы можете очень хорошо знать каждое слово в предложении и не понимать, о какой такой ассимиляции тут идет речь, просто из-за незнания этих аспектов языка.
Thus, you can check whether the common language in this or that phrase, or how can behave this or that word in a sentence (using prepositions after the word, the use of grammar with this word, and so on.
Таким образом, вы можете проверить, встречается ли в языке то или иное словосочетание, или каким образом может себя вести то или иное слово в предложении (использование предлогов после слова, использование грамматики с этим словом и т. д.)
Taking the first letter of every word in a sentence.
Instead of using context clues (the words around a vocabulary word in a sentence), take just 7 minutes a day to really learn one word well.
Вместо использования контекстных подсказок (слов, окружающих в предложении непонятное вам слово), потратьте всего 7 минут в день на то, чтобы по-настоящему хорошо выучить одно слово.
Another method is to use a password that is taken from the first characters of each word in a sentence (for example, «Mary had a little lamb» results in a password of «Mhall»).
Результатов: 20. Точных совпадений: 20. Затраченное время: 70 мс
Documents
Корпоративные решения
Спряжение
Синонимы
Корректор
Справка и о нас
Индекс слова: 1-300, 301-600, 601-900
Индекс выражения: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Индекс фразы: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Used with adjectives:
«He likes to use big words around adults.«
(big, fancy, long, difficult, hard)
«Her children use polite words.«
(polite, nice, kind, friendly)
«He says mean words to his brother.«
(mean, unkind, hurtful, harsh)
«The teacher uses simple words in class.«
(simple, easy, everyday, basic)
«What were his exact words?«
(exact, precise)
«He memorized some key words for his speech.«
(key)
«Find the wrong word in the sentence.«
(wrong, incorrect, misspelled, right, correct)
«He learned bad words from his friend.«
(bad, curse, cuss, dirty, naughty, obscene, foul, profane, slang)
«I’ll let you in if you say the magic word.«
(magic, code)
«He always has to have the final word during arguments.«
(final, last)
«Thank you for your encouraging words.«
(encouraging, comforting, soothing, wise)
«Your words are meaningless to me.«
(meaningless, empty, discouraging)
«She had a quick word with her son and he didn’t misbehave again.«
(quick, quiet, firm, stern)
«What is another word for car?«
(another, a substitute)
Used with verbs:
«Can I have a word with you?«
(have)
«She uses a lot of big words to impress people.«
(uses, says)
«Do not mention any word of this to him.«
(mention, say, speak)
«How do you pronounce this word?«
(pronounce, say, spell)
«He often misuses that word.«
(misuses, mispronounces, misspells)
«I do not speak a word of Chinese.«
(speak, know, understand)
«Look up the word in the dictionary.«
(Look up, find)
«Choose your words carefully with sensitive people.«
(choose, pick, select)
«Please translate these words for me.«
(translate)
«What does this word mean?«
(mean, indicate, signify)
«Words cannot express how thankful I am.«
(express, describe)
«The word begins with the letter b.«
(begins with, starts with)
«Please repeat the word.«
(repeat)
«She whispered the secret word in my ear.«
(whispered, said)
«He typed the words on a piece of paper.«
(typed, wrote)
«I could not read a word of it.«
(read, hear)
«He erased the bad word.«
(erased, deleted, crossed out)
«She memorized all of the words to the famous speech.«
(memorized, remembered, recalled)
«I give you my word that I will do everything I can.«
(give)
«I hope you keep your word about helping me.«
(keep)
«Describe in your own words what happened.«
(Describe, explain)
«He never breaks his word.«
(breaks, goes back on)
«Please trust my word on this.«
(trust, believe)
«How could you doubt my words?«
(doubt)
«Please send word to my family that I am doing well.«
(send, bring, get)
«Did you get word of what happened to them?»
(get, receive, hear)
«She spread the word about massive layoffs at the company.«
(spread)
«Just say the word and I will be there.«
(say)
Used with prepositions:
«Please tell the jury in your own words what happened.«
(in)
«What is the Spanish word for restroom?«
(for)
«We had a word about her behavior.«
(about)
«Can we have a word from our guest?«
(from)
«Let me give you a word of advice.«
(of)
«I need a quick word with you.«
(with)
Used with nouns:
«Would you like to play a word game?«
(game, puzzle)
«Her word choice was offensive.«
(choice)
«The therapist had the couple play word association.«
(association)
«The essay contest has a minimum word count.«
(count)