Pronouns and Possessives
A pronoun must match its noun in number and be clear about who or what it means. Apostrophes show possession or a contraction, never a plural.
The rules
- Its (belongs to it) versus it's (it is). Their (belongs to them), there (place), they're (they are). Whose (belongs to whom), who's (who is). Your versus you're.
- A pronoun must agree in number with its antecedent: A student must bring his or her book, or Students must bring their books.
- Use subject pronouns (I, he, she, we, they) for subjects, and object pronouns (me, him, her, us, them) for objects. Test by removing the other person: "between you and me."
- If a pronoun could refer to two nouns, the answer replaces it with the noun.
Watch out: Using an apostrophe to form a plural (the dog's are barking). Apostrophes show possession or contraction.
Worked example
The company raised _____ prices last year. (its / it's)
- Ask whether the sentence means "it is."
- It does not. It shows that the prices belong to the company.
- So use the possessive "its."
Answer: its
Try it yourself
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