English Homophones and Usage: TEAS Practice Question with Answer & Explanation

Understanding the Difference Between "Its" and "It's"

On the TEAS 7 English and Language Usage section, questions regarding homophones—words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings—are extremely common. One of the most frequent traps involves the words its and it's.

The Rule for "It's"

It's is a contraction. It is a shortened form of two words: "it is" or "it has."

• Example: "It's (It is) raining outside."
• Example: "It's (It has) been a long day."

The Rule for "Its"

Its is a possessive pronoun. It is used to show ownership or belonging to something that is not human (though it is sometimes used for animals). Unlike plural nouns (like nurses') or singular nouns (like doctor's), possessive pronouns—such as his, hers, ours, and its—never use an apostrophe.

• Example: "The heart pumps blood through its chambers."

Analysis of the Options

• Option B (Correct): "It's finally time for the medical students to receive their white coats." In this sentence, the word stands for "It is." If you replace "It's" with "It is," the sentence makes perfect sense. Therefore, the contraction with the apostrophe is the correct choice.

• Option A (Incorrect): "The laptop won't turn on because it's battery is drained." Here, the battery belongs to the laptop. Use the possessive pronoun its without the apostrophe. If you read it as "it is," the sentence would say "because it is battery is drained," which is grammatically incorrect.

• Option C (Incorrect): "The hospital recently updated it's policy regarding visitor hours." The policy belongs to the hospital. This requires the possessive form its. An apostrophe here would incorrectly imply "The hospital recently updated it is policy."

• Option D (Incorrect): "Its essential to double-check the patient's ID..." This sentence requires the contraction for "It is." The correct spelling should be It's. It is not showing ownership; it is introducing a state of being.

TEAS Study Tip: The Replacement Test

To never miss this on the exam, use the Replacement Test. Whenever you see "it's" or "its" in a sentence, try saying the words "it is" out loud.

1. If "it is" fits and makes sense, use it's.
2. If "it is" sounds like gibberish, use its.