College Composition / Unit 5 CMP 0113 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Its and It's, Their and They're
Captions available
The idea
Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe: its, their, your and whose show ownership on their own.
In practice
It's means it is, they're means they are, and who's means who is; "The company raised its prices" needs no apostrophe.
Where people slip
Test by expanding the word; if it is or they are does not fit, drop the apostrophe.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for College Composition