Who can turn a man into a mane? Who can turn a can into a cane? It's elementary; it's silent e!

Yep, even letters can be super heroes. *laugh*

So, with that childhood song wandering through my mind, you're probably wondering what this post is about, yeah?

Well, it's about one of the most common mistakes that lots (and lots and lots) of people make (yep, probably even me upon occasion).

The rules that will help you come down to possession and contractions, and no, you haven't wandered onto a planned parenthood (ha! as if that happens) website. With contractions, I'm talking about the little apostrophe that seems to drive people batty, mostly the people who know how to use it correctly, as the people who don't are often blissfully unaware. We'll talk about possession later.

If you mean to say IT IS, use it's. The little apostrophe in it's is just grammar's placeholder. It's showing that something is missing, in this case the i in is.

Therefore, it's mine means IT IS mine. Don't touch or else! Oops, sorry, I'm an only child so I got carried away.

Let's look at its cousin: its. This is a sad story of jealousy and ... possession. Its implies ownership.

Can you please put my camera on its side? If I put in the apostrophe and used it's, I'd be saying ... Can you please put my camera on IT IS side. That'd just be silly, right?

In summary, whenever you write it's, just double check it with the expansion: it's = it is. If the sentence makes sense after you ‘spell it out' (so to speak), great. If not, strike the offending apostrophe out and proceed on your merry, grammatically correct way.

Well, I hope this has cleared things up. It's been a pleasure. Oh, did I forget to mention it's can also stand for IT HAS?

Gosh, I love English!

Now, here are a few questions to test your knowledge. Correct as necessary.

• It's amazing how many people manage to get this wrong. It's not rocket science.
• Can you see its eyes?
• Our challenges are often the only way we grow. It's all in the way you look at it.