The death of the possessive its

Baggs when those who don’t know the difference between their, there and they’re read this they are going to be totally ‘yer wot?’

Also why do people start answers to questions or explanations with SO, I was taught never begin a sentence with and, so, but or because!

?

Its ? a sign of the times Baggs!

Your point has obviously been missed Baggs

very witty Greyduster

When I was teaching, some of my younger colleagues were unaware of how to use the apostrophe in it's, what hope do our children have?
They were of the generation, who were not taught grammar.
It was so bad, that the HT bought everyone a grammar book.

I saw what you did there Greyduster!

Baggs I think the increasing misuse of ‘it’s’ with its attendant apostrophe is not solely due to ignorance on the part of the writer.
The autocorrect feature on my phone usually inserts the apostrophe, whether appropriate or not, so I have to be careful to correct the autocorrect.
Whether one can blame a technical feature on a device for grammatical mistakes is of course another question.
<goes off to carefully preview post>

janea has said it for me. I for one always preview anything I've typed using my iPhone, and try to be sure to correct any incorrect autocorrects before submitting. Judging by the many, often unreadable posts I come across on FB, I know most people don't.

That said, I fear that those who do know the difference, but carelessly let autocorrect have its way, are not helping to keep 'its' in our language - in effect they are the lazy unwitting architects of its demise.

I have been known to alter incorrect grammar on posters in shops and banks ?

I sometimes wonder if apostrophes will disappear entirely. People seem to have so much trouble with them.

I can live with it - language evolves. The meaning is usually clear from the context. It's just one more thing for children to have to learn - English is a complex enough language to start with.

I think you will find your grandchildren will be well drilled in the use of the apostrophe.
I was taught it in the 50s & 60s &
DH a secondary school English teacher taught it in 70s, 80s & 90s!
Maybe some people were absent during apostrophe week ??

Worry not Baggs. When checking GD1’s homework, P3 at this stage, two sentences had correctly placed apostrophes ?

I was pretty well impressed she understood not only her spelling had to be correct but grammar too.

My 6 yo DG1 is being taught apostrophe use. I noticed in one of her little stories that she had used the “it is” abbreviation correctly. I’m sure if she knows that she will have been, or will soon be, taught the genitive version. There IS hope.

It's on its way out - but it's popping up in unexpected places.

'The wandering apostrophe'
Aka 'the greengrocer's apostrophe'.

and his spelling too. Vedgetable’s

Aka 'the greengrocer's apostrophe'.

It seems it was the stonemason's apostrophe first

The text on my television always inserts the unnecessary apostrophe. Phonetics technique must be causing a lot of bad spelling among mobile phone texters.

It's a long time since I was at school but , if I remember correctly, the apostrophe replaces a missing letter...as in' it's 'instead of 'it is'. That little rule should make it easy to use it correctly.

It did used to confuse me that an apostrophe is necessary for Mary's but not its.

On the subject of not starting a sentence with 'and', I hate reading Danielle Steele books because she does it all the time!

Oh dear, I'm a cringer when it comes to grammatical mistakes/errors, even now when it really shouldn't bother me. I must have been on some sort of a " spectrum " all my life ?

I blame my English teacher all those years ago for trying to push me into a career as a journalist !

Can I point out that it's not only stands for 'it is' but also for 'it has' - as in 'It's been a good day'. This is sometimes left out in grammar books.