Since we already discussed the difference between their, there, and they're in a previous lesson, perhaps it is good to also cover another common point of confusion: the words it's and its. Even native speakers get these words mixed up, so master them and you will be ahead of the game. 

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We are used to recognizing possessives by the use of an apostrophe, for example, my mother's car or the teacher's classroom. However, the word it's is not possessive, but rather a contraction of it and is used for convenience. In the sentences below, we see shortened versions of it is amazing, it is really exciting, and it is the most important part. 

And it's amazing, and they have one of the best sunsets in the world.

Caption 25, Visit Isle of Wight - Mark King of Level 42

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It's really exciting to know that I'm setting a good example for young people

Caption 26, peta2 Interviews - Vegan Surfer Tia Blanco

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That's how we know it's the most important part.

Caption 34, Rachel's English - How to Introduce Yourself - American English Pronunciation

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The word its helps us to describe how something belongs to, for example, an animal, place, or object. The sentences below are about the bear's fur, the garden's street performers, and the vest's container. 

Its fur is almost silver with a blue sheen,

the perfect adaptation to its environment.

Captions 19-20, Nature & Wildlife - Search for the Ghost Bear

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Covent Garden is famous for its street performers.

Caption 3, Christmas in London - Places

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To use, pull the tab to remove the vest from its container

and then open the pouch.

Captions 69-70, Delta Airlines - In-Flight Safety Video

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So, as you can see, “it’s” with an apostrophe is the contraction for “it is” and is never a possessive, while “its” with no apostrophe can only be a possessive and is never the contraction for “it is”.

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Further Learning
Take special note of examples of it's and its that you see while watching videos on Yabla English. Almost every video has one or both! 

Infinitive Verbs - Part 2

An infinitive verb is the plain form of a verb that is not conjugated and often has the word "to" before it. It is good to know the plain or base form of a verb, since that is the form that is typically the main listing for the word in a dictionary. You may hear the infinitive "to sit" conjugated as "sat" or "sitting," but the form of the word you will need if you care to look it up is the infinitive "sit." In standard usage, the infinitive will always be preceded by another verb.

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The Japanese tradition is to sit on the stool in front of the faucets

Caption 22, An Apartment - In Japan

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In the example above, the infinitive is "to sit." Infinitives preceded by "to" are called "full infinitives."

You can sit right here. -Thank you.

Caption 5, Jessica and Liz - In a Restaurant

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In this example, the infinitive is the verb "sit." An infinitive without the "to" is called a "bare infinitive."

It's really exciting to know that I'm setting a good example for young people.

Caption 26, peta2 Interviews - Vegan Surfer Tia Blanco

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You did well to tell me. We must know everything.

Caption 35, George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four - BBC TV Movie

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In the first example above, you see the full infinitive "to know," and in the second example the bare infinitive "know."

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Further Learning
Read this in-depth article on infinitive verbs, then search for examples on Yabla English to see them used in a real-world context.