Its vs It's: The Apostrophe Rule
Its vs It's (its ও it's-এর পার্থক্য)
Introductionভূমিকা
This is the most common written error in English, and it is made by native speakers as often as by learners. The frustrating part is that the rule seems backwards — everywhere else an apostrophe means possession, and here it does the opposite.
ইংরেজি লেখায় এটাই সবচেয়ে বেশি হওয়া ভুল, আর ইংরেজিভাষীরাও শিক্ষার্থীদের মতোই এটা করেন। বিরক্তিকর ব্যাপার হলো নিয়মটা উল্টো মনে হয় — অন্য সব জায়গায় apostrophe মানে অধিকার, আর এখানে ঠিক তার উল্টো।
Definitionসংজ্ঞা
'Its' (no apostrophe) shows possession — something belongs to it. "It's" (with an apostrophe) is short for 'it is' or 'it has'. There is no third option.
'Its' (apostrophe ছাড়া) অধিকার বোঝায় — কিছু তার। "It's" (apostrophe সহ) হলো 'it is' বা 'it has'-এর সংক্ষিপ্ত রূপ। তৃতীয় কোনো বিকল্প নেই।
Bangla Explanationবাংলা ব্যাখ্যা
তিন সেকেন্ডের একটা পরীক্ষা আছে যেটা সবসময় কাজ করে: **বাক্যে 'it's'-এর জায়গায় 'it is' বসিয়ে পড়ুন।** অর্থ ঠিক থাকলে apostrophe লাগবে; অর্থ ভেঙে গেলে লাগবে না। 'It's raining' → 'It is raining' ✅ তাই apostrophe ঠিক। 'The dog wagged it's tail' → 'The dog wagged it is tail' ❌ তাই apostrophe ভুল, হবে 'its tail'। নিয়মটা উল্টো লাগে কেন? কারণ ইংরেজিতে সাধারণত apostrophe দিয়ে অধিকার বোঝানো হয় — 'Rahim's book', 'the company's office'। কিন্তু সর্বনামের ক্ষেত্রে ইংরেজি apostrophe ব্যবহার করে না, একটাও নয়: his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, its — কোনোটাতেই apostrophe নেই। তাই এটা ব্যতিক্রম নয়, বরং সর্বনামের নিয়মই আলাদা। একই জোড়া আরও আছে, একই পরীক্ষায় ধরা পড়ে: **your/you're** ('you are'), **their/they're** ('they are'), **whose/who's** ('who is')। আর 'its'' বা 'its's' বলে কিছু নেই — কখনোই।
Examplesউদাহরণ
- It's raining, so take an umbrella.বৃষ্টি হচ্ছে, ছাতা নিয়ে যাও। (it is → apostrophe লাগবে)
- The company changed its logo last year.কোম্পানি গত বছর তার লোগো বদলেছে। (অধিকার → apostrophe নেই)
- It's been a long day.দিনটা লম্বা গেল। (it has → apostrophe লাগবে)
- Every phone has its own charger.প্রতিটা ফোনের নিজস্ব চার্জার আছে।
- It's not my fault that its battery died.ব্যাটারি শেষ হয়ে যাওয়া আমার দোষ নয়। (এক বাক্যে দুটোই)
- The city is famous for its rickshaws.শহরটা তার রিকশার জন্য বিখ্যাত।
Common Mistakesসাধারণ ভুল
The dog hurt it's leg.
The dog hurt its leg.
Read it as 'it is leg' — it collapses. Possession takes no apostrophe.
Its going to rain today.
It's going to rain today.
'It is going to rain' works, so the apostrophe belongs there.
The bank changed its' policy.
The bank changed its policy.
'Its'' is not a word in any position. The only two forms are its and it's.
Your late again.
You're late again.
Same test, different pair: 'you are late' works, so it needs the apostrophe.
Tipsটিপস
- Say 'it is' in your head. If the sentence survives, write it's. — মনে মনে 'it is' বলুন। বাক্য টিকে গেলে it's লিখুন।
- No possessive pronoun in English takes an apostrophe: his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, its. — ইংরেজির কোনো অধিকারবাচক সর্বনামে apostrophe বসে না: his, hers, ours, yours, theirs, its।
- Apply the same test to you're/your, they're/their and who's/whose. — একই পরীক্ষা চালান you're/your, they're/their আর who's/whose-এ।
- In formal writing, write 'it is' in full and the problem disappears entirely. — আনুষ্ঠানিক লেখায় পুরো 'it is' লিখুন — সমস্যাটাই থাকবে না।
Quizকুইজ
Tap an answer to check yourself — a free preview of the full graded quiz in the app.
1. Fill in: ___ too hot to go outside.
2. Fill in: The tree lost ___ leaves.
3. Which is never a word?
4. Fill in: ___ been three days since he called.
Practiceঅনুশীলন
Try each one, then reveal the answer.
1. Correct: 'The shop closed it's doors last month.'
Hint: Try reading it as 'it is doors'.
2. Fill in: ___ important to check ___ expiry date.
Hint: One is 'it is', the other is possession.
3. Apply the same test: 'Your going to be late.'
Hint: Does 'you are' fit?
Related Lessonsসম্পর্কিত পাঠ
- English Punctuation RulesSimple english punctuation rules for learners: how to use the full stop, comma, question mark, apostrophe and capital letters, with Bangla meaning and a quiz.
- Common Writing Mistakes in EnglishThe most common writing mistakes in english for Bangladeshi learners: articles, prepositions, spelling and word order, with Bangla meaning, fixes and a quiz.
- Possessive Adjectives and PronounsLearn possessive adjectives and pronouns in Bangla and English: my/mine, your/yours, his, her/hers, our/ours, their/theirs, with examples and a free quiz.
AI Practiceএআই অনুশীলন
Practise this topic in a real conversation with your AI teacher — it asks questions, corrects you gently, and adapts to your level, all inside EnglishBD.
Practise with the AI teacher →Frequently Asked Questionsসাধারণ জিজ্ঞাসা
Why does English make this so confusing?
Because the apostrophe does two different jobs — it marks possession for nouns and missing letters for contractions. With pronouns, only the second job applies, which is why 'its' looks like an exception when it is really following a different rule.
Does this matter if I only write informally?
It matters most in job applications, CVs and emails, where it is one of the first things a careful reader notices. In a WhatsApp message, nobody minds.
What about 'it's' meaning 'it has'?
Perfectly correct: 'It's been raining all day.' Both 'it is' and 'it has' shorten to it's, and the test works for both.
How can I stop making this mistake permanently?
Do the 'it is' test consciously for two weeks whenever you type the word. After that it becomes automatic and you will start noticing the error in other people's writing.