ACT English: Master Possessive vs. Contraction (Its/It's, Their/They're)

When you see its/it's or their/they're, use this test: Try substituting "it is" or "they are." If the sentence makes sense, use it's or they're. If it does not, use its or their. Example: "The dog wagged its tail." Substitution test: "The dog wagged it is tail." Nonsense. Use its (possessive). Example: "It's raining outside." Substitution: "It is raining outside." Makes sense. Use it's. This substitution test works 100% of the time and takes 5 seconds, eliminating guessing and careless errors.

Possessives (its, their, your, whose, his, her) show ownership. Contractions (it's=it is, they're=they are, you're=you are) are shortened verb forms. This distinction is absolute; there is no ambiguity once you apply the substitution test.

Pattern 1: Possessive used when contraction is needed. ("The team lost there game." Wrong; should be "their game.") Pattern 2: Contraction used when possessive is needed. ("The bird spread it's wings." Wrong; should be "its wings.") Pattern 3: Confusing "whose" (possessive) with "who's" (who is). Pattern 4: Confusing "your" (possessive) with "you're" (you are). Pattern 5: Confusing "there" (location) with "their" (possessive). Learn these five patterns and the substitution test, and you will never miss a possessive/contraction question again.

Mark every possessive/contraction pair in an ACT English passage. Use the substitution test on each one. This habit trains your eye to distinguish them automatically.

Find ten sentences with its/it's, their/they're, or your/you're. For each, apply the substitution test. Write whether to use the possessive or contraction form. Check against an answer key. This drill makes the substitution test automatic so that during the real test, you apply it without thinking and choose correctly every time.

Do this drill once per week for two weeks. By test day, possessive/contraction choices will feel instinctive.

Two or three possessive/contraction questions appear per ACT English section. Each is worth 1 point. Mastering the substitution test gains you 2-3 points per English section, raising your composite by nearly 1 full point.

This week, learn the substitution test and drill it. By test day, possessive/contraction questions will be your fastest, easiest English answers.