Its vs. it's

Subject: Its vs. it's
From: geoff-h -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA
Date: Tue, 23 Sep 1997 11:57:15 -0500

TRIAD Services (an unusual name, but that's how it appeard
in the header of this sigless message) wondered <<Why do so
many people have problems with its and it's?>>

Because "its" violates one of the first rules all English
speakers learn about possessives: to form a possessive, add
apostrophe-s (e.g., "Geoff's message"). So isn't it logical
that the possessive of "it" would be "it's"? Logical yes,
correct no. Chalk it up to yet another one of the weird and
wonderful rules of English.

--Geoff Hart @8^{)} geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Disclaimer: Speaking for myself, not FERIC.

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