It’s hot today

 Jo:  Hello, I’m Jo and you’re listening to Question and Answer of the Week from BBC Learning English.
 
Jean:  大家好，我是董征。在我们本周一期的《你问我答》节目板块当中，我们为大家解答你们在英语学习的过程中碰到的一些相关的问题。
 
Jo:  This week’s question comes from Fei Yang. She doesn’t say where she is from but she wants to know the difference between it’s, I.T. with an
apostrophe S, and its I.T.S.
 
Jean:  原来他想了解的是这两个发音完全一样的单词都有什么意思和使用上的区别。这两个单词一个是  it 加上撇号跟s的  it’s，另一个是不加上撇号的  its，也念  its。表示从属关系的这个上撇号，就是 apostrophe。
 
Jo:  Here’s English language teacher Gareth Rees who has also co-wrote English language course books, to tell us first of all about it’s – I.T. apostrophe S.
 
Insert
 
This is actually two words that have been joined together, namely it and is. This is known as a contraction. For example, it's hot today is the contracted form of it is hot today. Here are some other contractions, which all use the apostrophe to join the two words. 
 
I'll is I will
He'd is he would.
They've is they have.
 
Importantly, it's is not only the contraction of it and is. It can also be the contraction of it and has, when using the present perfect tense. For example:  It has been raining becomes it's been raining.
It has stopped becomes it's stopped.
 
Jo:  So Gareth explained it’s (apostrophe s) is actually two words that have been joined together – namely it and is.
 
Jean:  To join together 放在一起的。所以  it’s 是两个单词放在一起的缩略形式， namely 就是  it 和  is. 刚才 Gareth 使用的这个表示“即是、就是”意思的单词namely 我们待会儿会给大家解释的。 
 
Jo:  When two words are joined together like this it is known as a contraction. 
 Jean:  Contraction 就是语法中的缩略形式，Jo 会给大家举一个简单的例句…
 
Jo:  It’s hot today – which is the contracted form of it is hot today.
 
Jean:  这两个词的原型 – it is 变成了  it 一撇加 s，所以这个撇号就代替了  is 这个词中的  i.
 
Jo:  Gareth gives us some other examples where the apostrophe is used to join two words. I apostrophe ll – I’ll – comes from I will. 
 
 

The dog ate its food very quickly

Jean:  He 撇号 d – he’d – 原型就是 he would.
 
Jo:  They apostrophe ve – they’ve – comes from they have. 
 
Jean:  刚才 Gareth 他说到  it 一撇加  s 并不光是  it is 的缩略形式，所以他才用到了namely it and is 这样的说法。这只是  it’s 最常见的缩略形式，其实还有其它的词组缩略形式也是  it’s.
 
Jo:  It’s can be a contraction of it and has when using the present perfect tense.
 
Jean:  It’s 也是现在完成时  it 和 has 的缩略形式。
 
Jo:  It has been raining becomes it’s been raining. It has stopped becomes it’s stopped.
 
Jo:  On today’s Question and Answer of the Week from BBC Learning English we’re answering Fei’s question about the difference between it’s – I.T. apostrophe S, and its I.T.S.
 
Jean:  我们已经了解了  it 一撇  s 的意思 – so what about its I.T.S.?
 
Jo:    Over to Gareth again.
 
Insert 
 This word is a possessive pronoun, as are my, your, his, her, our and their. Look at these examples.
 
I lost my mobile phone yesterday.
You haven't finished your homework yet.
He visited his parents last weekend.
The dog ate its food very quickly.
Look at that car. Its windows are broken.
 
So, we use its when we talk about something that belongs to an animal or an object.
 
Jo:  So it’s – I.T. apostrophe S is a contraction and its I.T.S. is a possessive pronoun.
 
Jean:  A possessive pronoun 一个所有格代名词.
 
Jo:  Pronouns are I, you, he, she, it, they, we. So you would say I have a pen –it is my pen.
 
Jean:  Jo 用 my 而不是  I 来表示这支钢笔是属于她的，因为 my 是一个物主代词。像类似的说法比如说 you have a car - it's your car.

Jo:  We have a house – it is our house. Its is the possessive pronoun of it. And we use the pronoun it for animals or objects.
 
Jean:  我们一般用  it 的这个它来表示动物或者东西物品，或者其它任何没有性别的东西。举例来说。我们可以说  the dog ate its food very quickly 这只狗很快地把它的食物吃掉了. 代称狗的它我们就不能用 his 或者 her，而只能用  it。
 
Jo:  You would also say – look at that car. Car is an object.
 
Jean:  汽车是一样物品。
 
Jo:  Look at that car. Its windows are broken. 
 
Jean:  车窗是属于车上的，所以我们要说  its windows.
 
Jo:  So that’s the answer to your question Fei – it’s is a contraction of it is.
 
Jean:  而  its 是一个物主代词，表示的是用来形容动物、物品和其它无性别事物的第三人称单数所有形式。
 
Jo:  We hope that has helped Fei. If you have a question you would like us to answer you can email us at questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk.
 
Jean:  或者大家可以到我们的网站上来听到和看到《你问我答》和其它丰富有益的英语学习节目和内容，我们的网址是 www.bbcchina.com.cn，直接点击“英语教学”板块就可以了。  
 
Jo:  We look forward to hearing from you. Bye.
 
Jean:  再见! 

Fei Yang has emailed us with this week’s question. She wants to know the difference between it’s and its.

It’s

This is two words joined together – usually it and is. The apostrophe takes the place of the i in is. This kind of word is called a contraction.

So you could say it’s hot today, which is the contracted form of it is hot today.

Other contractions are things like I’ll (I will), he’d (he would) and they’ve (they have).

It’s can also be a contraction of it and has when used in the present perfect tense. The apostrophe takes the place of the h and the a in has.

For example, it’s been raining is the contracted form of it has been raining.

Its

This form of its is a possessive pronoun. I, you, his, her, we, they are all pronouns but possessive pronouns are my, your, his, her, our and their.

I have a pen – it is my pen.
We have a house – it is our house.

Its is the possessive pronoun of it. It is used for animals, objects and basically anything we don't know the gender of. So you would say:

Look at that car – its windows are broken.

We hoped we answered your question for you Fei. If anyone has a question about the English language, we can answer it for you.

Just email questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk or visit this webpage to learn the answers to other people’s questions.

Glossary 词汇

joined together 词与连起来

apostrophe （英语中的）瞥号，省字号

contraction 缩略

contracted form 缩略形式

present perfect tense 现在完成式

form 形式

possessive pronoun 表示所属关系的代词

objects 宾语

gender 性别