Its and it's

If people don't know where to put the apostrophe, please don't just sprinkle it about willy nilly. Grr....

The apostrophe is often misused now and you are correct.

However, it is not usually difficult to understand what the poster means, and I prefer to go with the spirit of the post rather than take it apart as regards punctuation. And as Davidhs says, predictive text sometimes plays games with us.

I try and remember that I was privileged when it came to education, but not everyone was so lucky.

A lot of things in language change over time, e.g. bored of instead of bored with, but that has always been so. Language evolves; so be it.

Baggs

Why do so few people seem to know that it's always means "it is"?

So a phrase like "do its own thing" with an apostrophe in the its is wrong. No-one would say "do it is own thing".

To be pedantic, Baggs, it's doesn't always mean it is - it can also mean it has.

That said, its misuse is certainly hard to overlook if you have tbeen taught it, along with similar things such as whose/who's, though I say that as someone who didn't learn these things until I was an adult, as they weren't taught in my secondary school in the '70s.

I disagree.Grammar and spelling play a significant part in my grandchildren's education both primary and secondary. In fact I have just been helping the thirteen year old with personal pronouns and the past perfect tense.Very satisfying!

I don't think this has been taught in schools for a long time.
Most grammar hasn't been, and spelling doesn't get much attention either.

I no longer notice. ?

Well can t be bothered to correct even if I know its wrong (see what I did there?!)

Oh, and I do leave some out because I'm too lazy to correct my phone's first suggestion.

I don't understand all the rules; I just put what I think.

It's because most people remember being taught the possessive apostrophe. Sam's coat, the dog's bowl etc. So when they write its they forget that it goes with his and her. No one would write his's or her's house but it sounds like a possessive so people put in the apostrophe.

People just don't understand apostrophes and tbh it would make far more sense to do away with them and use context instead.

I used to think that about predictive text too, david, but it's too consistently wrong. I'm not just talking about its use on Gransnet; it's something that strikes me all over the place. It's odd that so few people notice and make the correction, I think.

Baggs, this is predictive texting changing the letters and the poster not noticing the change, most of us do know the difference.