Contractions Pronouns
Contractions Pronouns
Contractions Pronouns
Most contractions are formed by condensing two words into one. Youve had too much to drink. You shouldnt be driving.
A pronoun is a word that in most cases can be used in place of a noun. Possessive pronouns, like possessive nouns, show ownership or possession. Pronoun: Nancy spotted him. Possessive Pronoun: Nancy spotted his car.
One of the most common mistakes writers make is to confuse its and its. Its is the possessive form. The car landed on its roof.
Its and its are the most confusing pair because they contain exactly the same letters. And while adding s usually indicates the possessive form of a word, the opposite is true with the word it. Its is the possessive form of it, whereas its is the contraction of it is. One of the most frequent mistakes made in writing is to confuse its for its and vice versa. However, its its easy to determine which word is correct by substituting it is into your sentence. If it is makes sense, use its. If not, use its. Possessive: The car landed on its roof. Contraction: Its (it is) going to be difficult to extricate her. You can use the substitution test with the other words as well. Use theyre if you can substitute they are, whos if you can substitute who is, and youre if you can substitute you are. If you cant make the substitution, use the possessive pronoun.
Its is the contraction of it is. Its (it is) going to be difficult to extricate the victim.
The other word that deserves a brief mention is there since it is sometimes confused with their and theyre. There is a word sometimes used to introduce the subject of a sentence: There is an accident up ahead. There is neither a contraction nor a possessive pronoun.
A simple substitution test reveals whether to use a contraction or a possessive pronoun. Their (they are) child was abducted.
1. Their/there/theyre home was destroyed by fire. 2. Your/youre never going to believe what happened. 3. Do you know whose/whos in command? 4. Its/its not too late to stop smoking. 5. Do you know where their/there/theyre going? 6. Have you finished your/youre report? 7. Whose/whos helmet is this? 8. The dog injured its/its paw. 9. Their/there/theyre were no witnesses to the accident. 10. Well host the drill if its/its all right with everyone.
S
. . . it is not appropriate with possessive pronouns.
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