Its, Fewer, and Affect: Native Speaker Mistakes: correct answers
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Some English word pairs are so tricky that even native speakers mix them up on a daily basis. Do you know the difference between saying "the potion will affect you" and "it has a strange effect"? Or that you should use fewer for countable items (like "fewer eggs") but less for uncountable concepts (like "less salt")? And, of course, there is the classic mix-up between it's (meaning "it is") and the possessive its (as in "its favorite bone").
In this challenge, you will step into the shoes of mad scientists, frustrated appliance owners, and grammar-obsessed supervillains to master these confusing pairs. You will navigate quirky sentences to properly apply its vs. it's, fewer vs. less, and affect vs. effect. You'll work through 13 questions featuring a fun, varied mix of single-choice, multi-choice, drag-and-drop, and drop-down formats.
Try the quiz to check your knowledge!
Correct answers
Question 1
Complete the grammar-obsessed supervillain's monologue at the grocery store.
"You fool! You have ten items in the express lane! You should have brought ___ items, which would have caused me ___ stress!"
The correct answer is fewer / less.
Use fewer for plural nouns you can count individually (like items, apples, or henchmen).
Use less for uncountable, mass, or abstract nouns (like stress, water, or evil).
Note: You'll often see "10 items or less" signs in supermarkets, but grammatically speaking, it really should be "10 items or fewer"!
Question 2
The correct answers are its, it's, its, and it's.
Its (without an apostrophe) is the possessive form, meaning "belonging to it" (e.g., its ability, its own camouflage).
It's (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction for "it is" or "it has" (e.g., it's quite obvious, it's currently glowing).
Its' is never a real word in English!
Question 3
Help the frustrated owner complete their online appliance review.
"My new smart fridge is completely broken; ___ convinced that ___ only purpose in life is to freeze my lettuce."
The correct answer is it's / its.
It's is a contraction of "it is" (The fridge is broken; it is convinced...).
Its is the possessive form of "it" (its only purpose).
Fun fact: Even native speakers constantly mix these up because we usually add an apostrophe + s to show possession (like "the dog's bone"). However, possessive pronouns (like his, hers, and its) never take an apostrophe!
Question 4
Help the tech reviewer complete their dramatic verdict on the new AI toaster.
The smart toaster seems to have a mind of its own, and it's becoming quite clear that the machine absolutely despises my choice of bagels.
The smart toaster seems to have a mind of its own, and it's becoming quite clear that the machine absolutely despises my choice of bagels.
Its (without an apostrophe) is the possessive form, meaning "belonging to it."
It's (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has." If you can replace the word with "it is," use the apostrophe!
Question 5
Help the mad scientist finalize his evil laboratory report.
"The new potion will ___ the town's water supply, creating a disastrous ___ on everyone's hair color."
The correct answer is affect / effect.
Affect is almost always a verb meaning "to influence or change" (The potion will affect the water).
Effect is almost always a noun meaning "the result of a change" (creating a disastrous effect).
Helpful trick: Think of the acronym RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb, Effect Noun.
Question 6
Help the grammar-obsessed supermarket manager fix the express lane signs.
If you want to survive the express checkout lane, you must have fewer than ten items in your cart and significantly less patience for people who try to pay with pennies.
If you want to survive the express checkout lane, you must have fewer than ten items in your cart and significantly less patience for people who try to pay with pennies.
Use fewer for countable nouns (things you can count one by one, like items, apples, or coins).
Use less for uncountable nouns (abstract concepts or bulk quantities, like patience, water, or time).
Question 7
The correct answers are affect, effect, affect, and effects.
Affect is almost always a verb meaning "to influence or produce a change in" (e.g., didn't affect the gravity, will affect my funding).
Effect is almost always a noun meaning "the result or outcome of a change" (e.g., noticeable effect, side effects).
Hint: If you can put "the," "an," or an adjective (like "side") in front of it, you usually need the noun effect.
Question 8
The correct answers are It's obvious that the robot dog lost its favorite titanium bone. and The company announced that it's recalling the model because of its faulty tail.
It's is a contraction for "it is" or "it has."
Its is a possessive word meaning "belonging to it" (just like "his" or "hers").
Native speakers often add an apostrophe to "its" by mistake, forgetting that possessive pronouns (like his, hers, ours, yours, its) never take an apostrophe!
Question 9
Complete the mad scientist's lab notes regarding the latest experimental potion.
I hoped the radioactive broccoli would affect the intern's super-strength, but the only noticeable side effect was his sudden desire to sing opera.
I hoped the radioactive broccoli would affect the intern's super-strength, but the only noticeable side effect was his sudden desire to sing opera.
Affect is usually a verb meaning "to influence or change something" (the broccoli affects the intern).
Effect is usually a noun meaning "the result of a change" (the side effect was singing).
Hint: Remember RAVEN — Remember Affect Verb, Effect Noun.
Question 10
Complete the alien commander's report on Earth's internet.
"The internet has a strange ___ on humans; ___ constantly distracting them from building spaceships."
The correct answer is effect / it's.
You need the noun effect because you are talking about the result of the internet (a strange effect).
You need the contraction it's because the sentence requires "it is" to make sense (it is constantly distracting them).
Question 11
The correct answers are The neon green potion had a bizarre effect on my assistant's hair. and Will adding a handful of glitter affect the explosion's radius?
Affect is usually a verb meaning "to influence or produce a change in" (e.g., affect the radius).
Effect is usually a noun meaning "the result of a change" (e.g., a bizarre effect).
Hint: If you can put "an" or "the" in front of it, you almost certainly need the noun effect.