According to the Google, people search for when to use it's as opposed to its more than any other grammatical issue.
This strikes my funny bone because it is one of the easiest distinctions.
It's is a contraction for it is. Unless you're a middle child, you probably use contractions constantly. Take two words, be lazy, and combine them into one word throwing away extra letters. Boom. Contraction.
Need a trick?
Just replace it is for it's in your sentence. If it makes sense, congratulations. You have chosen the correct it's.
It's time to re-evaluate my life choices. ⇒ It is time to re-evaluate my life choices.
Its is the possessive pronoun for it. If you want to give ownership, use its.
Need a trick?
Just replace Sally's for its in your sentence. If it makes sense, congratulations. You have chosen the correct its.
The most consistent aspect of my life is its constant surprises. ⇒ The most consistent aspect of my life is Sally's constant surprises.
See, easy. Let's run through a few more to drive it home.
It's smaller than I expected, but it's getting its job done.
It's frightening how quickly the American dollar is losing its value.
It's not rocket science, but grammar sure can have its quirks.
It's a blessing how quickly whisky spreads its warmth to the darkest corners of my soul.
And there you have it. Now you can Google more important things ... like how to make the perfect barilla taco or Taylor Swift's net worth.
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