iTeach: Blog: Specify and illustrate five uses of IT as a subject pronoun.

Specify and illustrate five uses of IT as a subject pronoun.

Ioana-Mădălina Popescu — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:46:03 +0200

The pronoun “it” can be used as a subject in the sentence as follows:
1. when it refers to an object or an animal of unspecific gender (neutral)
e.g. Don’t drink the milk. It smells terrible.
There is a dog here. It is asleep.
2. when it refers to a baby, when specifying the gender is not important.
The baby is crying. It needs feeding.
3. when it refers to times and dates
It is getting a bit late now.
It is quarter past 10.
4. when it refers to weather, temperature or environmental conditions
It is raining/ snowing.
It is hot/ cold.
5.when it introduces or anticipates the subject of a sentence, especially with That – clauses and To-Infinitive constructions (anticipatory “it”)
It is good that she is doing more exercise.
6. in Cleft Sentences (to emphasize the subject of the main clause, also with anticipatory or dummy value)
It was John who stole that book.
7. with verbs such as: “appear”, seem, look, occur etc. in impersonal constructions
It seems that they have already left.
8. With the passive voice, also with an impersonal value – it makes the sentence seem less personal and more objective:
It was said that she had been promoted.

Thanks!