VOA慢速英语2021--It's and Its

This week we answer a question from Ali in Iran. He wrote to us after reading a previous Ask a Teacher about security¹ and safety.

Question:

Dear VOA,

Could you explain the grammar related² to the word "its" in this sentence?

Security often has to do with a group's efforts to protect its members from harm.

Ali, Iran.

Answer:

Dear Ali,

Thank you for writing to us.

In the sentence you read, the word "its" is a possessive adjective³ meaning "belonging to it." And the "it" in this sentence is the group.

Other possessive adjectives⁴ are words like "his, her, my, your, our and their." These words appear before a noun⁵, like most adjectives in English, and change the meaning of the noun.

Here is another example of how to use "its."

I cannot drive that car. Its tires are flat.

The Queen wears a beautiful crown⁶. Its jewels shine in the sun.

We can use words like "its" to take the place of a noun, as in this example:

I have large eyes and so does my dog. Mine are blue and its are brown.

Its and it's

Many English learners confuse the possessive form "its" with the short form "it's."

The short form "it's" is what we call a contraction⁷. "It's" can be the short form of the words "it is" or "it has."

Here are some examples where "it's" is the short form of "it is."

It's great to see you again!

I think it's time for dinner.

Compare these sentences with "it's" as the short form of "it has."

It's been years since I met with my high school friends.

With daily practice, it's gotten easier for them to speak English.

I hope this helps you understand the different ways we use "its," Ali.

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

contraction – n. a short form of a word or word group that is made by leaving out a sound or letter

More Practice

Write the word its or it's in the blank for each sentence. For "it's" write whether the contraction is from "it is" or "it has."

Andy says it's (it is) too cold to walk to the park today.

The computer is making strange noises. I think ____ fan is broken.

Angie's cat hurt ____ foot last week...

... but ____ almost better now.

____ been so long since we had a party.

I can't wait until ___ safe to do that again.

1 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

2 related   

adj.有关系的，有关联的，叙述的，讲述的

参考例句：

• I am not related to him in any way.我和他无任何关系。
• We spent days going through all related reference material.我们花了好多天功夫查阅所有有关的参考资料。

3 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

4 adjectives   

n.形容词( adjective的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We can form nouns from adjectives. 我们可以用形容词来构成名词。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Attributive adjectives precede the noun. 定语形容词位于名词前。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

6 crown   

n.王冠，王权，顶点；v.使...成王，加冕，居...之顶

参考例句：

• He won the crown in 1973.他荣获1973年冠军称号。
• They wanted to crown Caesar king.他们想立凯撒为王。

7 contraction   

n.缩略词，缩写式，害病

参考例句：

• The contraction of this muscle raises the lower arm.肌肉的收缩使前臂抬起。
• The forces of expansion are balanced by forces of contraction.扩张力和收缩力相互平衡。