A message from the punctuation police: Its versus it's.

[CBHagman]

Okay, people, for the millionth time, it's is a contraction of it is.

Therefore, it's equals it is.

Examples of usage:

It's about time Scooter Libby landed in the slammer.
My cousin thinks it's impolite to call friends during The Sopranos.

Its is the possessive of it.

Examples of usage:

The dog lifted its leg over Mr. Cheney's trouser cuff.
The infant screamed its head off throughout the flight to Sydney.

Other punctuation police, call in on your radio or something. It's getting rough out here.

[mainegreen]

1. thats' silly!

:P

[pinniped]

51. I agree, thats's silly!

.

[pagerbear]

2. Its is similar to his and hers--they don't have apostrophes either

[LostinVA]

3. Its been along time since weve had a thread like this

[pagerbear]

4. Touché!

[spinbaby]

6. En Garde!

[LostinVA]

7. hehehehe

[Haole Girl]

5. Seems simple to me

But, I get your versus you're, too. ;-)

Oh, and don't get me started about than instead of then! :eyes:

[LeftyFingerPop]

13. Your correct. n/t

[Haole Girl]

22. Very funny.

:eyes:

[LeftyFingerPop]

27. how are you today KC2?

:hi:

[Haole Girl]

29. Doing well...

I'm at work, though...

hey, it keeps me out of trouble! :hi:

[unpossibles]

8. thanks!

My favorite is "there" -

They're ignoring their grammar while posting there.

or almost the same issue with "your" -

You're ignoring your grammar rules made up in the days of yore.

Sorry. I don't mean to cast asparagus.

[rug]

9. What about 'tis versus it's?

[RebelOne]

10. How about their, there and they're?

I have seen these words used incorrectly in many posts.

[CBHagman]

11. Incoming freshman classes get that wrong.

My cousin, a college professor, keeps encountering high school graduates who have not yet learned how to distinguish their from there and they're. The kids I tutored at a community center more than a decade and a half ago didn't know the usage either, but at least they were still in school.

The good news is that e-mail and message boards and blogging make us write more. The bad news is that the mistakes get repeated ad nauseam.

[Left Is Write]

17. That's rediculous. I definately don't repeat common mistakes.

:evilgrin:

[GirlinContempt]

12. It has contracted is also it's.

[Inchworm]

14. thank you

I've been battling that in my head for a while and was too slack to look it up. For some reason I tend to type like I speak and have need for these little tidbits of information. :)

Took me a while to remove the apostrophe from yours. I would see it after I typed it and cringe. I had to look up why.

:hi:

[1gobluedem]

15. You're and your

Their misuse drives me crazy. You're is a contraction of 'you are,' as in "Are you sure you're all right?" Your is possessive, as in "may I borrow your rake?." Also using apostrophes to denote plural; such as "the Smith's came over last night."

Arrggghhh!! E-mail has made people very sloppy. And what's with everything becoming a proper noun all of a sudden? Someone will write something about 'her Mom.' Mom is a proper noun when used as an appellation, as in "hey, Mom!" not in this context. I read a blog the other day in which the writer kept talking about what he read in the Newspaper. Huh?

[LeftyFingerPop]

21. so anyway, may I borrow you're rake? n/t

[1gobluedem]

23. Not until you write 'your' 500 times on the blackboard.....

:hi:

[LeftyFingerPop]

24. ...

:hi:

[unpossibles]

28. maybe the writers are German?

their always capitolizing all there nouns they're. Seriesly.

:D

[Lex]

16. the vs. teh

:P

[hyphenate]

18. Glad someone else is trying to educate people

on grammar. I tried once or twice a long time ago, and it didn't work.

My first lesson was on a different subject, though: I tried to teach people about the conditional verb "wish" and that its usage needs to use "were" instead of the singular verb, "was."

I really feel sorry for people whose first language is not English. It has so many different origins, and it's not as straightforward as many other languages. I usually forgive them for not understanding grammar rules, but I get really scared with today's student population and their lack of both grammar and spelling. If you've seen the commercial for one of the cell phone companies with the little girl and her speech based on message texting talking with her mom, you can see why I would cringe.

[TommyO]

19. Just except that there will be acceptions to proper grammar on the web!

:D

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. As long as were understanding that they're times when, in haste,

we can all be guilty of screwing up it's meaning. ;) Nobodies' perfect.

[CBHagman]

52. We'll let you off with a warning, ma'am.

We're the Punctuation Police, not Professor F'ing Umbridge...

;-)

[EFerrari]

25. Is "yay" a word? Even if it is, I don't like it.

lol

[Adsos Letter]

31. Yay for sfexpat2000!!!

:D

[EFerrari]

32. Lol!

:hi:

[Adsos Letter]

34. Glad it brought a smile...I'll be here all week...

:D :hi:

[EFerrari]

35. Them's fighting words, lol. You know what? Yay is not a word but

Yep IS a word.

That's just wrong.

:rofl:

[Adsos Letter]

36. Yep...I agree...

:D

[Oeditpus Rex]

37. Is it 'yep'

or "yup"? :shrug:

[EFerrari]

44. Came up "yep" at Merriam Webster.

Imagine my surprise. :wow:

[Adsos Letter]

45. Yay for Merriam Webster!!!

yep...yup...YAY!!!

:D

[EFerrari]

46. We are so screwn.

lol

[Oeditpus Rex]

47. Well, I say 'yup'

And I'm a-gonna KEEP a-sayin' "yup."

:headbang:

[EFerrari]

48. You outlaw you.

lol

[Oeditpus Rex]

50. Yer durned tootin'

I was gonna say "Your durned tootin'," but I just... couldn't. :cry:

[LeftyFingerPop]

26. I am of the mind that...

as long as I can read it and interpret the meaning quickly, I don't care how any word is spelled. Of course, for formal writing, you would certainly want everything perfect, but I consider lounge talk to be largely informal. Just my 2 cents.

[jilln]

40. The problem is, bad grammar and spelling can interefere with meaning

Today a client was called to find out what a "backpack ball" was. Turns out they forgot a comma.

Very simple things can completely alter the message, and on the Internet it is very easy for people to get the wrong idea already, even when the language is correct.

[Adsos Letter]

30. I am one of the worst offenders at this

its a habit...

:D

[trackfan]

33. If prescriptivists was to ultimately prevail itd supprize me.

[zanne]

38. Please help me, Grammar Police!

Please tell me which one is correct:


Are you going to the beach today?

"I wish I was"

OR

"I wish I were"

[zanne]

39. OOH OOH Here's another one

"Which or what"

"Which number is higher"
OR
"What number is higher"

[jilln]

41. And IT IS perfectly possible to make a plural without an apostrophe!

Even if the word ends in a vowel.

[cwydro]

42. Thank you.

That drives me crazy!

[Dr. Strange]

43. I'm rooting for it's

When it comes to

Its versus it's

I'm rooting for it's, because I really hate its. (Also, I have twelve bucks riding on it's.)

[Brigid]

49. Not a punctuation error, but here's one:

It's a common Grammar gaffe:

"The reason is because . . . "

Should be: "The reason is that . . ."

Example: "The reason * is in the White House is that he stole the election of 2000."

[flamingyouth]

53. Egregious pop culture example:

'80s schmaltzy metal ballad "Every Rose Has It's (sic) Thorn" by Poison. Drives me nuts every time I see that song title written.