Mekita Rivas, SNR communications associate, publishes a biweekly feature called "Grammar Guru."
Every other week, the Grammar Guru will share writing tips to help make your work as polished as possible. Some of these tips may address common spelling errors, while others will examine the many nuances of the English language.
Grammar Guru Tip #48
Normally, an apostrophe symbolizes possession. As in, "I took the chef's class." But because apostrophes also usually replace omitted letters — like "don't" — the "it's" vs. "its" decision can get confusing.
Use "its" as the possessive pronoun. For the shortened version of "it is," use the version with the apostrophe.
Example:
The office was cold, so I turned up its heat. It's not snowing outside yet.
Need some grammar guidance? The UNL Style Guide (http://unlcms.unl.edu/ucomm/styleguide/) is a great resource for all university employees. If you have writing questions that the style guide doesn't answer, feel free to email the Grammar Guru at mrivas@unl.edu.