It's and its

Effect and affect seem to throw some people into confusion.

I agree Ana, perhaps the thread could(or should it be can) develop it to more examples of word misuse or should that be misused?

I did think about starting another thread about lose and loose, but I thought I'd better not push it!

Any one else out there who hates the missuse of the words brought & bought ? It really bothers me ,which then bothers me that I am bothered!!

To put it simply, 'it's' is ALWAYS short for 'it is' or 'it has'.

If it doesn't mean either of those, then it doesn't need an apostrophe.

I really think that predictive text and auto text are deadly enemies of the Pedant.

It does make me smile (wryly),though, when I read a longish post in which someone had carefully put apostrophes in all the possessive 'its' and missed them out of all the abreviation 'its'...

I thought I had the hang of it, but my phone puts apostrophes in every time and it's difficult to erase them, so I began to wonder if it should be used in the possessive. Thank you for clarifiying it.

It's is also short for 'it has'.
It's been raining, etc.

I used to teach its/it's to classes of Arabic speakers in (mostly) one two-hour session. They never seemed to have any trouble.

I just don't understand why so many native speakers can't get it.
It really isn't difficult.
Presumably nobody has ever explained it to them simply enough.

That's terrible, vq.
I'm glad to know, however, that you are not turned into an enraged puppy-murderer by seeing mis-used or missing apostrophes, as I had imagined.

Sorry Vampirequeen, I didn't know that...

Ana, every time you misuse an apostrophe a puppy dies.

I did imagine them swathed in bandages!

Of course, they may not be Plymothian - even if they have lived there for years they may still be 'furriners'

So Mums in Plymouth or Plymouth Mums

Or Mum's

Mummies in Plymouth, surely?

Exactly so Jalima - though it does rather sound like Egyptian mummies . They should have just stuck with 'Mums in Plymouth' - much easier!

Plymothian Mummies?

Oh dear, I am so ashamed of the Mummy's in Plymouth

'Twas never like it in my day.

Ana...... you old pedant you.
Still, it was important and needed saying.

Mummies in Plymouth, surely?

How can that be?

Dogs can't write, let alone punctuate...(as far as I know)

Strange things turn you on JackyB but each to her own .

I hate apostrophes especially as they turn me into a puppy murderer on a regular basis.

I recently received an e-mail from one of our salesmen using its and it's correctly. I found that quite a turn on.

Sales reps are fun and can charm the hind legs off a donkey but they can't write correct English (or whatever their native language is) for toffee.

Its my new keyboard wot does it
its a wireless one and has a mind of it's own

Ha, and I see I left out a full stop after "Mummy's in Plymouth". Not the best forum to make this sort of error .

There's a local FB page in my area called "Mummy's in Plymouth" I so want to say, "Oh is she?"

I don't know how often I've argued with predictive text when it insists on inserting an unnecessary apostrophe. I think the programs should be re-written on the basis of 'if in doubt, leave it out'.
Better the occasional missed one than the dozens of superfluous ones!

A timely reminder...I know the rules but in my everyday rush I throw apostrophes in at every opportunity. Of course I take care in official stuff (I hope!) but now I'll be more mindful ... thank you!