Every writing contest judge, editor and instructor has a grammatical pet peeve. And so do readers. Mine is the misuse of “it is” and “it’s.” It’s bad enough when I see their misuse in email and other casual communications. But when a reportedly professional publication misuses them, I cringe! It’s enough to make me quit reading. I catch myself thinking, “If they can’t get this right, how valid are their facts?”

If its and it’s confuse you, here’s an easy way to test which is correct.

• If you can replace the letters i-t-s with “it is,” use it’s, which is the contraction for “it is.” For example: The liquid removes the stain immediately. It’s magic!  (It is magic.)
• If you cannot replace the word with “it is,” use its, which is a possessive pronoun. For example: The liquid removes the stain immediately. Its magic comes from a secret ingredient. Would it make sense to say “It is magic comes from a secret ingredient”? No. In this example, “its” is a possessive pronoun referring to the liquid. Instead of saying, “The liquid’s magic comes from a secret ingredient,” you can say, “Its magic comes from a secret ingredient.”

The test: If you can replace the letters i-t-s with “it is,” use “it’s.” If you can’t, use “its.” 

And never, ever use its’. The writing gods will have a hissy fit!