its or it's quiz



My dogs think it's fun to watch the turtle. 

The word its means something belongs to it, as in, the dog wagged its tail.  It = dog.

Look closely at the different word: it's. Two words go together to make it's, as in, I think it's a turtle. (it is)

Help your child see the funny mark, called an apostrophe, inside the word, it's. The apostrophe is a sign that two words have been pushed together and one or more letters have been dropped.

When two words have been pushed together and letters have been dropped, as in the word, it's, the word is in a category called contraction. Two words have been squeezed into one word, contracted into one word.

Other contractions are:

can not / can't   and   is not / isn't. Does your child see the apostrophe in can't and isn't?

You and your child should be able to say the two words it is whenever you see it's. Try it:

1. I like this picture. It's fun to look at these dogs.   Yes, I can say it is.  

    
2. The turtle is little. It's smaller than the big dog.   Yes, I can say it is.    

   
3. The turtle is brown. It's brown.    Yes, I can say it is.  

Above, you can change it's to the two words it is and the sentences still make sense.

Below, let's think about the other word: its.  The word its means something belongs to it. Its is not two words pushed together. Its does not have an apostrophe. It does not make sense to say, it is in place of its.
Try it:
1. The dog wagged its tail.    Yes, it makes sense to say it is.  or  No, it does not make sense.

2. The dog tilted its head.      Yes, it makes sense to say it is.  or  No, it does not make sense.

3. A turtle can wiggle its tail.   Yes, it makes sense to say it is. or  No, it does not make sense.

No, in those three sentences it does not make sense to say it is in place of its.

Quiz: Which word would you pick:

1.The dog wiggled _______ head.     its   or   it's

2. The turtle was on _______ way to the pond.      its   or   it's

3. The turtle likes _________ pretty brown shell.      its   or   it's

4. The dogs think _________ funny to see such a small slow animal.      its  or   it's

5. The turtle hopes ________ only a few more steps to the pond.     its   or    it's

I now use ebay for my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up. 

All books are full of color pictures and blend tricky phonics lessons with a special comprehension method for rapid success. Your child will love this method. My contact info is included, email or call for help.    Have a great day, Mary Maisner
(Answers: 1. its, 2. its, 3. its, 4. it's = it is; 5. it's = it is)