Students' Lounge

The difference between its (possessive) and it’s (contraction) is grammar 101. It’s child's play. It's the ham sandwich of gourmet grammar. And yet it is one of the most common grammar errors, if not the most common error, out there in the world of very smart and savvy journalism students (and, don't be fooled, professional journalists). But don’t feel too bad—there may be a reason why this particular mistake is plaguing your writing.

In the slippery world of “affect versus effect” many default to the “affect is a verb and effect is a noun” thought process. But both words can be used as both noun and verb, which makes choosing the right word in this manner a matter of gut-feeling guesswork. This dilemma is explained well in a blog post from PoynterOnline.

The web is taking over, no doubt, but it's important to not put all your eggs in that basket and retain and hone some of the core journalistic skills you're already learning in j-school, writes Ryan Sholin on his blog, Invisible Inkling.