Page 1041 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

hasn’t = has not

couldn’t = could not

don’t = do not

won’t = will not (an irregular contraction: the i in will changes to
an o)

wouldn’t = would not

Its and It’s

The contraction that is the focus of the most confusion is it’s. It’s, the

form with the apostrophe, always means it is or it has. Since the
possessive form of a pronoun never takes an apostrophe, its is the

possessive form, meaning belonging to it.

Examples Using its and it’s

The lawnmower seems to have lost its pep.

It’s too hot to mow, anyway.

Practice 28-1 Using its and it’s Correctly

Underline the correct form of its or it’s in the following sentences.