Taking the focus off the subject: using impersonal 'it' - Talking about the weather and the time

Taking the focus off the subject: using impersonal 'it'

31 You often only want to mention one thing or fact in a clause. For example, you often want to focus on the type of information that is normally expressed by an adjective. But an adjective cannot stand alone as the subject of a clause. A common way of presenting information of this kind is to make the adjective the complement of 'be', with 'it' as the subject.

If you do not want to choose any of the clause elements as the thing you are going to talk about, you can use several structures with 'it' as subject.

'It' can be used:

to describe a place or situation

It's lonely here.

to talk about the weather or to say what the time is.

It had been raining all day.

It is seven o'clock.

These uses are often called the impersonal uses or 'it'.

32 In these uses, 'it' does not refer back to anything earlier in the speech or writing, and so it is different from the personal pronoun, which usually refers back to a particular noun group:

The sun kept changing everything as it moved across the sky.

Paris is special, isn't it?

For more information about personal pronouns, see the section beginning at paragraph 1.9

Note that the pronoun 'it' can also be used to refer to a whole situation or fact which has been described or implied.

He's never come to see his son. It's most peculiar, isn't it?

It doesn't matter.

It's my fault.

33 'It' can also be used to introduce a comment on an action, activity, or experience. The subject 'it' refers forward to a 'to'-infinitive clause or a finite subordinate clause.

It costs so much to get there.

It was amazing that audiences came to the theatre at all.

This structure with 'it' allows you to avoid having a long subject, and to put what you are talking about in a more prominent position at the end of the sentence.

Describing a place or situation

34 If you want to describe the experience of being in a particular place, you can use 'it' followed by a link verb such as 'be', an adjective, and an adjunct of place.

It was very pleasant at the Hochstadts.

It was terribly cold in the trucks.

It's nice down there.

For more information about adjuncts of place, see the section beginning at paragraph 53.

Similarly, you can indicate your opinion of a situation using 'it', 'be', an adjective, and a clause beginning with 'when' or 'if'.

It's so nice when it's hot, isn't it?

Won't it seem odd if I have no luggage?

35 You can also use 'it' as the object of verbs such as 'like' and 'hate' to describe your feelings about a place or situation.

I like it here.

He knew that he would hate it if they said no.

Here is a list of common verbs that are used in this way:

Talking about the weather and the time

36 You can describe the weather by using 'it' as the subject of a verb.

It's still raining.

It was pouring with rain.

It snowed steadily throughout the night.

The following verbs are used after 'it' to talk about the weather:

You can also describe the weather by using 'it' followed by 'be' and a complement. The complement can either be an adjective by itself, or an adjective followed by a noun referring to a period of time.

'Can I go swimming?''No, it's too cold.'

It was very windy.

It was a warm, sunny evening.

It's a lovely day, isn't it?

Here is a list of common adjectives that are used to describe the weather:

Note that you can describe a change in the weather or light by using 'it' followed by 'get' and an adjective complement.

He put the top up because it was getting cold.

It's getting dark.

giving times and dates 37 You can say what the time, day, or date is by using 'it' followed by 'be' and a complement.

It's eight o'clock.

It's Saturday afternoon and all my friends are out.

It was July, but freezing cold.

emphasizing time 38 You can form many useful time expressions using a structure with 'it' followed by 'be' and a noun group referring to time. The use of this structure puts emphasis on the time of the event.

You can say when something happened using 'when'.

It was 11 o'clock at night when 16 armed men came to my house.

It was nearly midnight when Kunta finally slept.

You can say how long ago something happened using 'since'.

It's two weeks now since I wrote to you.

It was forty years since the war.

You can say how long the interval was between one event and another using 'before'.

It was ninety days before Rodin's search was over.

It was four minutes before half-time.

You can say how soon something will happen using 'to'.

It's two days to D-day.

Commenting on an action, activity, or experience

using link verbs 39 A common way of commenting on what you are doing or experiencing is to use 'it' followed by a link verb and a complement. After the complement you use a present participle or a 'to'-infinitive clause.

It's fun working for him.

It was difficult trying to talk to her.

It's nice to see you with your books for a change.

It will be a stimulating experience to see Mrs Oliver.

lf you want to mention the person who performs the action or has the experience, you use a prepositional phrase beginning with 'for' and a 'to'-infinitive clause after the complement.

It becomes hard for a child to develop a sense of identity.

You can also use the structure with a 'to'-infinitive clause when you are recommending a course of action or saying that something is necessary.

It's important to know your own limitations.

It's a good idea to have a little notebook handy.

It is necessary to examine this claim before we proceed any further.

using other verbs 40 Similar structures can be used with verbs other than link verbs.

If you want to say what effect an experience has on someone, you can use 'it' with a verb such as 'please', 'surprise', or 'shock', followed by a noun group and a 'to'-infinitive clause. For a list of these verbs, see paragraph 4

It always pleased him to think of his father.

It surprised him to realize that he hadn't thought about them until now.

It interests him to hear what you've been buying.

You can use 'it' with 'take' and a 'to'-infinitive clause to indicate what is used in a particular action or activity, or is needed for it, for example the amount of time or the type of person that is needed.

It takes an hour to get to Idlewild.

It takes an exceptional parent to cope with a child like that.

It took many wounds to kill them.

If there is also an indirect object, this can be placed immediately after the verb.

It look the a year to save up for a new hat.

If the indirect object is expressed by a prepositional phrase, usually beginning with 'for', it is placed after the direct object.

It took some time for him to realize what was required.

It takes a lot more guts for a woman to resign than for a man.

'Cost' can be used in similar structures when taking about the amount of something, usually money, that is used in an activity.

It costs about 150 a week to keep someone in prison.

With 'find' and 'think', you can use 'it' as the object, followed by an object complement and either a 'to'-infinitive clause or a 'that'-clause.

He found it hard to make friends.

He thought it right to resign immediately.

41 If you want to focus on a non-finite clause, you can use this clause as the subject of the main clause, instead of 'it'. For example, instead of saying 'It's fun working for him' you can say 'Working for him is fun'.

Measuring the water correctly is most important.

In formal English, 'to'-infinitive clauses are sometimes used.

To lose a son in the games was as honourable as losing him on a foreign battlefield.

Commenting on a fact that you are about to mention

42 When you want to comment on a fact, event, or situation, you can use 'it' followed by a link verb, a complement, and a 'that'-clause giving the fact.

It is strange that it hasn't been noticed before.

It's a shame he didn't come.

From the photographs it seems clear my mother was no beauty.

Here is a list of adjectives used in complements in this structure:

Here is a list of nouns used in complements in this structure:

USAGE NOTE   43 After adjectives like 'funny', 'odd', and 'strange', a clause beginning with 'how' is sometimes used instead of a 'that'-clause, with the same meaning.

It's funny how they don't get on.

It is really wonderful how the time has gone.

It's queer how you dig things up.

'What'-clauses can be used after similar adjectives when you want to comment on something that is the object of an action.

It's surprising what you can dig up.

It's amazing what some of them would do for a little publicity.

'Wh'-clauses can be used after adjectives such as 'obvious' and 'clear' when you want to comment on how clear the reason to something is.

Looking back on these cases, it is clear why the unions distrust the law.

'Whether'-clauses can be used after adjectives such as 'doubtful' and 'irrelevant' when you want to comment on something that may or may not be true.

It is doubtful whether supply could ever have kept up with consumption.

other verbs   44 If you want to say what someone thinks about a fact, you can use 'it' followed by a verb such as 'please' or 'surprise'. The verb is followed by a noun group and a 'that'-clause.

It won't surprise you that I stuck it in my pocket.

It grieved her that Ashok could not sleep there.

Here is a list of verbs that can be used in this way:

passives of reporting verbs   45 If you want to say what is said, thought, or discovered by a group of people, you can use 'it' as the subject of the passive form of a reporting verb, followed by a 'that'-clause.

It was agreed that the transaction should be kept secret.

It was felt that there had been some duplication of effort.

It was found that no cases of hypothermia had been recorded.

For a list of verbs that can be used in this way, see paragraph 6