This is probably the most common mistake I see in the work of new writers, so I'm making a thread here that I can quickly refer people to when the issue comes up.
The usual mistake is to put a possessive apostrophe where it doesn't belong. Here's an example ...
John's house had red tiles on it's roof. (Incorrect)
John's house had red tiles on its roof. (Correct)
I can see why writers make this mistake. After all, "John's" has a possessive apostrophe, so why not "it's" as well? However, personal pronouns don't follow the same rules as nouns.
An easy way to remember this is to think of "its" as equivalent to "his" and "hers". None of these words take possessive apostrophes.
The only time when "it's" is correct is when you're abbreviating "it is". For example ...
"Well, its about time," said John. (Incorrect)
"Well, it's about time," said John. (Correct)
So, to summarise: use "its" when showing possession for something gender-neutral, and use "it's" when abbreviating "it is."
I hope that this has been helpful. If you have any questions or have spotted any errors, please let me know below.
HC
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