Examples of Irregular Verbs

“Its” refers to either the possessive form of the pronoun “it” or to “it’s,” the contraction of the words “it is” or “it has.” Many people confuse the two different uses of its (its and it’s); so, it can be helpful to consider some examples.

Its: Possessive vs. Contraction

Its As a Possessive

Its is the possessive version of the pronoun “it.” Many people find this confusing because possessives normally have an apostrophe in them (for example Joe’s cookies or everyone’s lunch).  Its, however, does not have an apostrophe when it is used as a possessive.

Some examples of its used as a possessive include:

• This cheese is past its expiration date.
• This house is more expensive than its neighbors.
• This book is better than its cover would suggest.
• This pillow is too big for its case.
• This frog is too small for its aquarium.
• The ball is in its bin.
• The flag is on its pole.
• The elephant is in its zoo.
• The plant is in its pot.
• The fridge is making its noise.
• The glass is in its cabinet.
• The spoon is in its drawer.
• The bird is in its house.
• The bear is in its cave.
• The bee is in its hive.
• The ice is in its tray.
• The milk is in its container.
• The drink is in its bottle.

It’s As a Contraction

It’s, on the other hand, is used as a contraction for “it is” or “it has.” Some examples include:

• It’s cold in here.
• It’s hot outside.
• It’s always raining.
• It’s been two years.
• It’s never been this cloudy.
• It’s always sunny in Philadelphia.
• It’s too nice outside.
• It’s late to wake up.
• It’s nice in the house.
• It’s something you’ll never forget.
• It’s a nice car.
• It’s a good day for sailing.
• It’s fun to go to the fair.
• It’s always been a dream of mine.
• It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• It’s a great idea.
• It’s been an unforgettable day.
• It’s been a while since you arrived.

ITS: Acronym

ITS is also used as an acronym for many different things. According to Wikipedia, the ITS acronym can refer to:

• Incompatible Timesharing System: An operating system used on computers.
• Issue Tracking System: Software that is installed on a computer and used to manage issues that arise with products.
• Intelligent Tutoring System: A system that provides tutoring using artificial intelligence.
• Internationalization Tag Set: A recommendation on how to internationalize XML that comes from W3C.
• Islamic Thinkers Society
• International Thespian Society
• International Tracing Service
• International Trade Secretariat
• Indian Telecommunication Service
• Irish Texts Society
• Indian Trade Service
• Irish Thoracic Society
• Institute for Transport Studies
• Institute of Technology, Sligo, Ireland
• Institute of Technological Studies
• Instituto Tecnológico de Saltillo
• Indian Theological Seminary
• Integrated Truss Structure
• Intelligent Transportation System
• Internal Transcribed Spacer
• International Temperature Scale of 1990 (ITS-90)
• Intelligent Tutoring System
• International Transportation Service
• Improv Tribal Style Belly Dance

Each of these are different examples of organizations, products, systems or things that use the acronym ITS.

So, now you have seen examples of “its” used as “its” and “it’s” in a sentence as well as the acronym use of the three letters: ITS.